Comparison guide

Which iron should you take?

Iron supplements work — the problem is tolerating them. The form changes side effects more than efficacy, and alternate-day dosing improves absorption regardless of form. Iron should only be supplemented with a diagnosed deficiency or medical guidance.

The options, compared

Option	Evidence	Best for	The honest note
Iron	Strong evidence	Standard treatment, lowest cost	Ferrous sulfate is the guideline default; GI upset is common but efficacy is unmatched per dollar.	View
Iron Bisglycinate	Moderate evidence	Sensitive stomachs	Chelated 'gentle iron': similar hemoglobin recovery with fewer GI complaints in comparative trials.	View
Liposomal Iron	Limited evidence	When everything else fails	Best tolerability, lower elemental dose per capsule and higher price; decent but thinner evidence.	View

Our verdict

Start with ferrous sulfate (ideally alternate days); switch to bisglycinate if your gut protests. Liposomal is the tolerability fallback, not the first choice — and never supplement iron blind, since excess is harmful.