A form of iron
Heme iron polypeptide supplements
2 iron products in the NIH label database list iron as heme iron polypeptide (under 1% of the 8,696 iron products); their median is 26.5 mg of iron per serving, against 5 mg across all iron products (DSLD version 9.4.0, January 2026).
How does heme iron polypeptide compare with the other forms?
The median amount of iron per serving in products naming each form; the count in brackets. The amount is the iron the label gives, as printed (the Supplement Facts row normally states the element; a row named as the compound usually gives the compound's weight and is left out of these figures).
Median iron per serving by form
Source: Supplement Facts rows and their forms, NIH ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database version 9.4.0, current labels.
- Products
- 22 on the market
- Median iron per serving
- 26.5 mgall iron products: 5 mg
- Share of iron products
- under 1%2 of 8,696
Is the amount the iron or the whole heme iron polypeptide?
A Supplement Facts row normally states the iron itself (a row like "Iron (as heme iron polypeptide)"); a row named as the compound (a row like "Heme iron polypeptide") usually states the compound's weight, which includes what the iron is bound to and is larger than the iron it supplies. The front of a bottle may print either. Of the 2 products here, 2 give the iron in its own row.
The adult Tolerable Upper Intake Level for iron is 45 mg a day; it covers total intake from food, water and supplements. At the most servings their labels direct, 0 of the 2 heme iron polypeptide products with a plausible amount (0.0%) give more than that.
Source: Supplement Facts rows of each product's current label, NIH ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database version 9.4.0; upper limit: Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes (2011) (what counts as plausible).
What else do these products contain?
| Ingredient | Share of these products | Median here | Median, all products |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folate | 100% | 400 mcg | |
| Vitamin B12 | 100% | 515 mcg | 36 mcg |
| Vitamin C | 100% | 142.5 mg | 100 mg |
| Beet | 50% | 120 mg | 100 mg |
| Black Pepper | 50% | 10 mg | 5 mg |
| Carrot oil | 50% | 100 mg | 55 mg |
| Pomegranate | 50% | 50 mg | 70.5 mg |
Which products are they?
All 2, ordered by the amount of iron per serving, largest first; an amount that looks like a slip or a compound's weight comes last, marked.
- Heme Iron SAPNFH33 mg
- BloodTonicHerbTonics20 mg
Source: NIH ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database version 9.4.0; the form each label names for its row. Daily Values: the FDA's Daily Value page.
Which brands make them?
HerbTonics (1), NFH (1).