Iron is a mineral nutrient present in plants and animals. It is crucial to the human body because it aids in transporting oxygen via the blood throughout all the tissues and cells. This form of iron is called hemoglobin, which is approximately 65 to 75 percent of the iron in the body. Hemoglobin is a protein that forms part of red blood cells. Your body retains a small reserve of iron in your liver and bone marrow in the form of ferritin.
You don’t produce iron in your body, instead you absorb eat from the foods you eat. Iron in food can be divided into two types: heme iron which is found in animal products and non-heme iron which you find in plant-based foods like vegetables, seeds, fruits and grains, among others. Heme iron is found in meat, poultry, fish and shellfish.
When you are not consuming enough sources of iron, your body starts using the iron reserves in your bone marrow. When the reserves are gone too, the blood does not have enough iron and hemoglobin to transport oxygen as necessary. This lack of iron is called iron deficiency or anemia. World Health Organization flagged anemia as one of the most widespread nutrient deficiencies in the world. Worse, low iron is number one in the United States.
The most common low iron symptoms are irritability, short attention span, a constant feeling of fatigue and weakness resulting to fainting or decreased performance at work or school. The body is more susceptible to infection, the tongue swells, and the person is always feeling cold. Infants and young children unfortunately show delayed cognitive development.
The above-mentioned low iron symptoms seem generic and vague, so much so that these are dismissed as laziness or symptoms of stress.
Groups most at risk of developing iron deficiency include children, teenagers, senior citizens, pregnant women, women of child-bearing age and athletes.
Think you might suffer from Iron Deficiency? Have a look at these Quick and Easy Ways to Increase Your Iron Intake. Boosting your iron levels can be easy!