Iron deficiency

Why you need iron

Iron is a vital mineral that make two important proteins: Haemoglobin and myoglobin. Haemoglobin is the protein responsible for helping red blood cells in delivering oxygen from lungs to the body organs while myoglobin is responsible for delivering oxygen to muscles. Iron is also important for making hormones as well as tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissue.

What if you don’t get enough iron?

When you are not taking enough iron, your body start using its stores in muscle, liver and others. When your stores are running out your red blood cells becomes smaller and carry less haemoglobin and the result will be anaemia.

What are the symptoms of anaemia?

You feel tired, you will have fast pulse, cold extremities, problems in digestion and concentration too. In addition and due to weak immunity you will become sick often. Children who have low iron level tend to have less learning abilities than people who get their daily needs.

What causes low iron?

Poor diet that have ow intake of main iron sources like fish, poultry and meat. Women who are pregnant and women who still have their periods tend to have low iron level. Cancer, ulcers or digestive problem increase risk of iron deficiency. Finally older people as their intake level will decrease with age.

How much do you need?

The needs differ between men and women and between women of at different age groups:

Men at all age groups: 8 mg daily

Women between 19-50 years old: 18 mg daily

Pregnant women: 27 mg daily

Breastfeeding women: 10 mg

Women after 50 years old: 8 mg daily

What if you’re vegetarian or vegan?

Iron is best absorbed from animal sources than plant based food. Iron deficiency anaemia is a common problem among people who are vegan and vegetarian. So they need to take double amount of iron like 14 mg daily for men and 32 grams for women. In addition you need to eat a varieties of plant-based food among with vitamin C to enhance iron absorption.

Which foods provide iron?

Oysters, beef liver, white beans, lentils, and spinach are some of the top natural food sources. Lean meat, seafood, and poultry are great animal sources and help your body absorb iron from other foods like beans, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, whole grains, and green leafy vegetables. Iron is also in many “fortified” grain products like bread and breakfast cereal. Check the label to see how much is in a serving.

Do you need iron supplements?

In general most people take enough iron from food. A high dose of iron is linked to stomach cramps, constipation, nausea, diarrhoea, and light-headedness. It also could make it harder for your body to absorb enough zinc. Iron overdoses of supplements can cause life-threatening problems in children younger than 6. It is best to consult your doctor before taking any supplements. An upper dose for iron is 45 mg daily.

If you’re pregnant

You need more iron when you are pregnant for normal baby growth as low level of iron is linked to brain development problems, low birth weight or your baby will be born very soon. You need to consult your doctor to know exactly the dose of iron you need during your pregnancy

Your baby

Around 10% of infants and toddlers don’t get enough iron. Babies who are born with low birthweight or even people who were born full term may experience iron deficiency as storages will be run out after few months. If not restocked, this early lack of iron could lead to behaviour and attention problems later. Talk to your doctor about how to track, and, if needed, supplement your child’s iron.

Sources:

https://www.webmd.com/women/ss/slideshow-get-enough-iron?ecd=wnl_spr_022819&ctr=wnl-spr-022819_nsl-LeadModule_cta&mb=7C%2fZ0gm1tubgq%40zjtKE%40Ong0WleHxvIq%40XwZdsn%2f83I%3d

https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/15-iron-rich-foods-for-babies-and-toddler/