Iron Bisglycinate
Mineral ·Exploratory record · not publication-reviewed ·Updated July 13, 2026
Gentle, highly bioavailable iron form that causes less GI distress than other forms.
Exploratory record, not a reviewed medical publication.
See the editorial and medical-review policies for the publication gate.
This generated database record has not completed a claim-level review by a qualified human medical reviewer. Bibliography links and evidence labels are not approval. The page remains available for reference and is excluded from search indexing.
What the research says.
A quick, data-only summary. The full evidence, dosing, and sources are below.
Iron Bisglycinate is a mineral most often used for iron supplementation, anemia treatment, gentle on stomach. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as strong. A typical adult dose is 18-36 mg elemental iron daily, commonly taken as ferrochel iron bisglycinate. This profile indexes 15 sources.
The bottom line
Evidence rating strong. Most-documented uses: iron supplementation, anemia treatment, gentle on stomach. 15 sources indexed (1991–2025), with 0 interaction records on file.
How it works, mechanistically.
Core mechanism
Amino acid chelation protects iron from binding phytates/tannins, maintaining bioavailability. Absorbed via amino acid transporters in addition to DMT1, reducing GI oxidative stress.7,3
Dosing & protocol.
What it actually costs.
Real-world pricing across three quality tiers. Assumes Ferrous Bisglycinate.
Assumes a daily dose delivering about 25-36 mg elemental iron. The sticker price is higher than sulfate, but better tolerability often improves real-world value. Updated 2026-04-02.
The same dose, as food.
How much you'd eat to match a supplemental dose.
Supplemental-style iron doses are difficult to match from food alone once deficiency is present.
Full safety detail.
Sources, by evidence tier.
Numbered references. Citations throughout the page link here.
Meta-analyses & systematic reviews
1- 1The effects of oral ferrous bisglycinate supplementation on hemoglobin and ferritin concentrations in adults and children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsPMIDFischer JAJ et al. · Nutr Rev · 2023
Meta-analysis of 17 RCTs found ferrous bisglycinate produced higher hemoglobin concentrations in pregnant women and 64% fewer GI adverse events compared to other iron salts.
Randomized controlled trials
11- 2Glycoprotein Matrix-Bound Iron Improves Absorption Compared to Ferrous Bisglycinate Chelate and Ferrous Fumarate: A Randomized Crossover TrialPMIDSecrest AH, Norgan Radler C, Kelly J et al. · Cureus · 2025
Secrest AH, Norgan Radler C, Kelly J et al.. Glycoprotein Matrix-Bound Iron Improves Absorption Compared to Ferrous Bisglycinate Chelate and Ferrous Fumarate: A Randomized Crossover Trial. Cureus. 2025
- 3Amino Acid Chelated Iron Versus Ferric Ammonium Citrate on Iron Status in Egyptian Children with Iron Deficiency Anemia: A Randomized Controlled StudyPMIDHamed H, Samie OMA, Motawie AA et al. · Indian journal of hematology & blood transfusion : an official journal of Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion · 2025
Hamed H, Samie OMA, Motawie AA et al.. Amino Acid Chelated Iron Versus Ferric Ammonium Citrate on Iron Status in Egyptian Children with Iron Deficiency Anemia: A Randomized Controlled Study. Indian journal of hematology & blood transfusion : an official journal of Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. 2025
- 4Iron Supplementation with Ferrous Sulfate or Ferrous Bisglycinate for 12 Weeks Does Not Influence Group B Streptococcus Colonization in Cambodian Women: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled TrialPMIDCirigliano E, Saint A, Pei LX et al. · The Journal of nutrition · 2025
Cirigliano E, Saint A, Pei LX et al.. Iron Supplementation with Ferrous Sulfate or Ferrous Bisglycinate for 12 Weeks Does Not Influence Group B Streptococcus Colonization in Cambodian Women: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. The Journal of nutrition. 2025
- 5Low-Dose Prophylactic Oral Iron Supplementation (Ferrous Fumarate, Ferrous Bisglycinate, and Ferrous Sulphate) in Pregnancy Is Not Associated With Clinically Significant Gastrointestinal Complaints: Results From Two Randomized StudiesPMIDMilman NT, Bergholt T · Journal of pregnancy · 2024
Milman NT, Bergholt T. Low-Dose Prophylactic Oral Iron Supplementation (Ferrous Fumarate, Ferrous Bisglycinate, and Ferrous Sulphate) in Pregnancy Is Not Associated With Clinically Significant Gastrointestinal Complaints: Results From Two Randomized Studies. Journal of pregnancy. 2024
- 6Is a Lower Dose of More Bioavailable Iron (18-mg Ferrous Bisglycinate) Noninferior to 60-mg Ferrous Sulfate in Increasing Ferritin Concentrations While Reducing Gut Inflammation and Enteropathogen Detection in Cambodian Women? A Randomized Controlled Noninferiority TrialPMIDFischer JAJ, Pei LX, Elango R et al. · The Journal of nutrition · 2023
Fischer JAJ, Pei LX, Elango R et al.. Is a Lower Dose of More Bioavailable Iron (18-mg Ferrous Bisglycinate) Noninferior to 60-mg Ferrous Sulfate in Increasing Ferritin Concentrations While Reducing Gut Inflammation and Enteropathogen Detection in Cambodian Women? A Randomized Controlled Noninferiority Trial. The Journal of nutrition. 2023
- 7Efficacy and Safety of Ferrous Bisglycinate and Folinic Acid in the Control of Iron Deficiency in Pregnant Women: A Randomized, Controlled TrialPMIDBagna R et al. · Nutrients · 2022
RCT in pregnant women confirmed ferrous bisglycinate's efficacy and safety for iron deficiency control, noting amino acid chelation maintains bioavailability even with food inhibitors.
- 8Low-dose ferrous bisglycinate chelate supplementation in chronic kidney disease and hemodialysis patientsPMIDHsu CY, Chen JC, Tsai YC et al. · Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA · 2022
Hsu CY, Chen JC, Tsai YC et al.. Low-dose ferrous bisglycinate chelate supplementation in chronic kidney disease and hemodialysis patients. Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA. 2022
- 9Iron Bisglycinate Chelate and Polymaltose Iron for the Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia: A Pilot Randomized TrialPMIDAbdel Moety GAF et al. · Curr Drug Discov Technol · 2017
Iron bisglycinate chelate showed effective treatment of iron deficiency anemia comparable to polymaltose iron with good tolerability and fewer GI side effects.
- 10Effect of supplementation with ferrous sulfate or iron bis-glycinate chelate on ferritin concentration in Mexican schoolchildren: a randomized controlled trialPMIDGonzalez-Rosendo G et al. · Nutr J · 2014
Both ferrous sulfate and iron bis-glycinate chelate were effective for iron repletion in children, with absorption of ferrous bisglycinate being significantly higher than ferrous sulfate.
- 11Ferrous bisglycinate 25 mg iron is as effective as ferrous sulfate 50 mg iron in the prophylaxis of iron deficiency and anemia during pregnancy in a randomized trialPMIDMilman N, Jønsson L, Dyre P et al. · Journal of perinatal medicine · 2014
Milman N, Jønsson L, Dyre P et al.. Ferrous bisglycinate 25 mg iron is as effective as ferrous sulfate 50 mg iron in the prophylaxis of iron deficiency and anemia during pregnancy in a randomized trial. Journal of perinatal medicine. 2014
- 12Tolerability of iron: a comparison of bis-glycino iron II and ferrous sulfatePMIDCoplin M et al. · Clin Ther · 1991
In 38 women, 37% experienced moderate-to-severe side effects only while taking ferrous sulfate vs 21% with the chelate formulation; bisglycinate was better tolerated for bloating, constipation, and nausea.
Reviews & position papers
1- 13Treatment of mild non-chemotherapy-induced iron deficiency anemia in cancer patients: comparison between oral ferrous bisglycinate chelate and ferrous sulfatePMIDFerrari P, Nicolini A, Manca ML et al. · Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie · 2012
Ferrari P, Nicolini A, Manca ML et al.. Treatment of mild non-chemotherapy-induced iron deficiency anemia in cancer patients: comparison between oral ferrous bisglycinate chelate and ferrous sulfate. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie. 2012
Reference material
2- 14Yefet E, Mruat Rabah S, Sela ND et al.. Addition of oral iron bisglycinate to intravenous iron sucrose for the treatment of postpartum anemia-randomized controlled trial. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology. 2021Source linkedPMID
- 15Name JJ, Vasconcelos AR, Valzachi Rocha Maluf MC. Iron Bisglycinate Chelate and Polymaltose Iron for the Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia: A Pilot Randomized Trial. Current pediatric reviews. 2018Source linkedPMID
Common questions.
Quick answers about Iron Bisglycinate, drawn from the data on this page.
What is Iron Bisglycinate?
Gentle, highly bioavailable iron form that causes less GI distress than other forms.
What is Iron Bisglycinate used for?
Commonly cited benefits of Iron Bisglycinate include: Iron supplementation; Anemia treatment; Gentle on stomach. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as strong.
What is a typical dose of Iron Bisglycinate?
A typical adult dose of Iron Bisglycinate is 18-36 mg elemental iron daily. The commonly recommended form is Ferrochel iron bisglycinate. These are general ranges, not personalized advice; confirm the right dose with a clinician.
What are the side effects of Iron Bisglycinate?
Reported side effects include less constipation than ferrous sulfate, less nausea. This is educational information; check with a healthcare professional before use.
How strong is the evidence for Iron Bisglycinate?
NutriStack rates this as Strong, meaning multiple high-quality meta-analyses or systematic reviews converge on the same finding. Full tier criteria are at https://nutristackapp.com/methodology/evidence-tiers.
Use this with your stack
Iron Bisglycinate in NutriStack.
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