Iron deficiency and anemia have become very common concerns that many women and children deal with. Before getting into why it’s so common let’s start by discussing the difference between the two.
· In anemia (Specifically iron deficiency anemia) iron levels are so low that red blood cells start to decrease in number and look different. Red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body and the oxygen itself attached to iron. When iron is low red blood cells become smaller and have a limited ability to deliver oxygen.
· Iron deficiency is less severe than anemia but can still lead to symptoms. In this case the red blood cells still have their normal shape but the stored iron in the body is decreasing. Iron deficiency can eventually turn into anemia if it is not caught early enough.
As you can see these two states are very similar to each other and not surprisingly the symptoms are similar to each other as well (With those in anemia being more severe). Things to look for include:
· Fatigue
· Weakness
· Dizziness
· Headache
· Shortness of breath
· Feeling cold
· Restless legs at night
· Brittle nails
· Inflamed/sore tongue
· Craving non-food substances like ice or sand
Now we need to discuss why this is occurring and it can be broken down into three categories:
1. Low intake of iron
· Decreased intake of dietary iron will occur due to vegetarian and vegan diets. Plant based diets are great for many reasons but tend to be low in certain nutrients including iron. Because of this it’s important for vegetarian/vegan women and children to have their iron checked regularly and take steps to incorporate more iron into their diet. Unfortunately non-meat sources of iron are less bioavailable (harder to absorb) so one of my favorite things to recommend in this situation is cooking with a cast iron pan or an iron fish that can be placed in frying pans. Iron will naturally be leached from them and boost the levels in food.
2. Impaired absorption
· Many substances compete with iron for absorption in the intestines. Grains (Phytic acid), eggs, black/green tea (Tannins), coffee, and calcium rich foods like dairy are all examples of foods that will block iron absorption. On the flip side vitamin C rich foods and citrus fruits will help increase iron absorption.
· Issues with the digestive tract can also contribute to iron deficiency including IBD (Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis), low stomach acid, celiac disease, and SIBO. If none of the other reasons mentioned in this post relate to you then getting tested for these conditions is a great next step.
3. Increased loss of iron
· The most common cause of this is heavy periods in women. Every single month women are losing blood and having to tap into iron stored to make more. Often women think that having heavy periods is normal or that there is nothing they can do about it but this isn’t true. Testing for and correcting hormone imbalances (Especially estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid) can help periods become less heavy and slow the rate of iron loss.
· Increased growth is also going to use up iron quickly. This growth comes in the form of pregnancy and growth spurts in children. In both cases many red blood cells are being produced in a short period of time which increases iron requirements during these stages.
· I won’t spend very much time discussing this but the last consideration here is internal bleeding which means blood is slowly being lost from the intestines, kidneys, or other areas of the body.
Check out my upcoming blog post to learn about iron testing and supplementation!
Dr. Kelsey Murray, ND