Know Iron Deficiency and Its Symptoms Affecting the Body

A common myth that is being followed is that we tend to think that a physically fit person is healthy hence can’t be iron deficient. This is false! Also, many of the symptoms related to iron deficiency can be attributed to other causes, which makes iron deficiency even more untraceable because the most common symptoms of iron deficiency are chronic fatigue, irritability, mood swings and having trouble concentrating. Usually, the symptoms also include having pale skin, regular headaches, feel dizzy, feeling weak, feeling cold when others don’t, and a rapid or irregular heartrate. During these symptoms, you need to work with your doctor and work which type of iron supplements work better for you.

An extreme shortage of iron in the blood can cause some severe health problems, including anemia. Not less than 4 million women across Canada have been diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia. Additionally, one in five women of reproductive age has anemia, and the symptoms are likely to be seen more in vegetarians and vegans.

So, “Why iron is so crucial for the body?”, “What does it do for the body?”. Let us shed some focus on these questions.

Iron is a mineral that is important for the formation of red blood cells and is the main reason behind the healthy immune system functionality. It is a vital component that helps in transporting oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. This is because iron is a component of myoglobin, which is a protein responsible for delivering oxygen to the muscles. Iron plays other functional roles like supporting metabolism, the growth of the body, and the development of cellular functioning.

A healthy adult usually has 3 to 4 mg of iron stored as hemoglobin in the body. The remaining amount is stored in multiple forms such as ferritin or hemosiderin in the liver, in the bone marrow, it is stored as a spleen, and in muscles as myoglobin. Due to iron loss, though in small amounts in urine, feces, and sweat, athletes are at higher risk. They have a higher sweat volume and through footstrike hemolysis. Also, menstruating women have greater chances of iron loss with their period coming every month releasing tissue that the body no longer needs, in the form of blood, so if you lose blood, you lose some iron. Women with heavy periods are even more at risk.

Now that the importance of iron is known, let’s know which are the sources of iron-rich foods:

The human body doesn’t produce iron naturally. It must be obtained from the external food source, which contains iron. Basically, iron found in foods are of two types:

1) Heme iron, found in animal proteins like beef, chicken, lamb, fish, etc.;

2) Non-heme iron, found in green vegetables, eggs, nuts, and fortified grains.

Heme iron has 14 to 18 percent of bioavailability and vitamin C presence, where else, non-heme has only 5 to 12 percent. Owing to the lower absorption capacity, therefore vegans and vegetarians have a greater risk of iron-deficiency anemia. You can contact a nutritional expert and plan out a diet rich in iron. If the person consumes calcium at the same time while consuming iron, the absorption of the mineral by the body is affected. Hence, it is advised to consume both in separate meals.

What is the recommended intake of Iron? How much does the body need?

The iron requirement by the body varies from person to person, it also depends on gender and age. A pregnant woman needs iron more than a normal woman because of the increased volume of blood and red blood cell production. Read below to know the exact requirements:

A child of the age between 4 to 8 years need 10 mg/day of iron, between 9 to 13 needs 8 mg/day. Adult women between 19-50 years need 18 mg/day, whereas a pregnant lady needs almost 27 mg/day of iron. Adult men need 8 mg/day, and breastfeeding women require 9 mg/day of iron.

Depending on the age range given above, an athlete needs 1.3 to 1.7 times higher iron and vegetarians need 1.8 times higher.

So, who all are at risk of having Iron-deficiency Anemia?

The following category of people are under the risk of developing anemia:

Infants and Children:

Premature babies or babies born with low weight require more iron for their rapid growth. Infants cannot consume solid iron-rich food, and hence, they have the risk of having an iron deficiency.

Pregnant Women:

There is an increase in blood volume and red blood cell production during pregnancy. This is because the body must support the growing fetus. Iron deficiency during this stage may cause risk during childbirth, or premature birth of the baby may happen.

Women with heavy periods and one who frequently donates blood:

The body gains iron from the circulating blood. And with the depletion of blood during heavy periods or in the one who donates blood frequently, the risk of iron deficiency increases. The iron levels can be raised by taking iron supplements.

People with Gastrointestinal Disorders or Who undergo Gastrointestinal Surgery:

Ulcers, Crohn’s, Celiac disease, etc. cause iron malabsorption or increased bleeding. Individuals suffering from this have higher chances of developing this disorder.

Individuals having cancer:

Almost 60 percent of suffering from colon cancer are diagnosed with anemia due to blood loss.

Vegetarians and Vegans:

Vegetarian food has non-heme iron, which has a lower bioavailability of iron. Also, the phytates present in many plant foods can come in between the iron absorption. The person should consume vitamin C rich foods for increasing the iron absorption from the plant-based diet.

Athletes:

As most of the iron is lost due to sweat and footstrike hemolysis, athletes are under constant risk of suffering from iron deficiency. Even they may lose blood through gastrointestinal bleeding while doing strenuous exercise.

People on Dialysis:

Kidney disease patients have a small amount of blood loss during dialysis. Additionally, the renal diet given during the treatment consumes iron very quickly, and hence they have the chance of suffering from iron deficiency anemia.

What are the symptoms of Iron Deficiency?

People suffering from the deficiency may have one or many of the below-mentioned symptoms;

1) Cold hands;
2) Fast heartbeats;
3) Shortness of Breath;
4) Hair Loss;
5) Brittle and Spoon shaped nails;
6) Chronic fatigue;
7) Recurring illness;
8) Weakness;
9)Fatigues;

The deficiency doesn’t happen overnight, but an individual should not overlook the symptoms even if it is just a weakness. A lot of factors like a poor nutritional diet, over-exercise, or activity depletes the iron from the body. No supplements should be taken without proper medical guidance as many supplements can disturb gastrointestinal, which causes constipation. Be aware of the symptoms, and the causes. Talk to your doctor and a professional will perform a series of test to know of you are at risk.