Product Comparison
Compare the three routes head-to-head — the chelated tolerable form, the clinical standard salt, and the heme-bypass route. The comparison runs on elemental dose, GI cost, and the regulatory route each takes through the hepcidin gate.
At a glance
Thorne Iron Bisglycinate
Nature Made Iron 65 mg
Heme Iron Polypeptide (Proferrin-type)
Multi-dimensional comparison
Multi-dimensional Comparison
| Metric | 🏆Thorne Iron Bisglycinate Thorne | Nature Made Iron 65 mg Nature Made | Heme Iron Polypeptide (Proferrin-type) Proferrin (various clinical brands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery Form | Capsule | Tablet | Tablet |
| Strength | 25 mg elemental | 65 mg elemental (325 mg ferrous sulfate) | 12 mg elemental (heme iron) |
| Servings / Container | 60 | 180 | 90 |
| Retail Price | $16.00 | $9.99 | $34.95 |
| Cost / Serving | $0.27 | $0.06BEST 💰 | $0.39 |
| Overall Score | 86/100 | 87/100 | 75/100 |
| 3rd-Party Testing | None | USP | None |
| Vegan Friendly | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | — No |
Did you know?
The only number on the label
'325 mg ferrous sulfate' = 65 mg elemental. '500 mg bisglycinate' ≈ 100 mg elemental. The compound weight is the label trick; the elemental weight is the dose — and the only number that counts toward treatment or safety.
The adherence factor
Sulfate's constipation and nausea cause more treatment failure than any dosing schedule; bisglycinate and heme forms trade cost-per-mg for continuation. The best iron is the one that stays in the protocol.
The hepcidin window
Each dose raises hepcidin for up to 48 hours, closing the gate against the next. Alternate-day dosing works with the gate (Chapter 3's trial); daily dosing fights it — the schedule is part of the pharmacology.
The C rule and the clock
Vitamin C with the dose (the classic enhancement); coffee, tea, and dairy 1–2 hours away. The meal around the tablet is half its absorption — or half its blockade.
The storage rule
Iron overdose is a leading cause of fatal pediatric poisoning — the bottle lives locked, high, and out of reach. The safety rule that outranks every optimization on this page.
The gate before the gate
No supplement schedule begins without bloodwork: ferritin and hemoglobin define who needs iron, who's replete (no benefit, real risk), and who needs the GI workup our anemia page teaches first.