Iron Supplementation: Repletion, Overload, and the Test-First Rule

Summary

Iron is a genuinely effective, Tier-1 treatment for **measured** deficiency, especially in menstruating women and pregnancy, but it is a **test-first drug, not a wellness top-up**: the body has no route to excrete excess, so supplementing without a confirmed need risks overload, the "take iron for energy" pitch fails without a low ferritin behind it, and the premium "gentle chelated" forms buy modest tolerability, not the big absorption win the label implies. ---