Getting enough iron is essential for good health.
asserted
Getting → get → health
Yet many people don’t get enough, with iron deficiency considered the most common nutritional deficiency leading to anaemia, which affects an estimated 30 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 years globally, according to the World Health Organisation.
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which → get → Organisation
Failing to get enough of this crucial mineral can lead to serious health problems.
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Failing → fail → problems
You need iron to produce neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
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You → need → dopamine
Your immune system needs iron to fight infections, and your body uses iron to make hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to other organs and tissues.
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that → need → organs
Our bodies can’t make iron.
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bodies → make → iron
So you have to get it by eating the right foods, which include meat, seafood, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, beans and whole grains.
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which → have → meat
If you’re not eating enough iron on a daily basis, you may not notice any symptoms right away.
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you → eat → symptoms
But over the long term, low iron levels can cause your body’s production of red blood cells to drop, leading to anaemia.
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production → cause → anaemia
This can make you feel constantly weak and fatigued.
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you → make → ?
You may also experience headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath and a fast or irregular heartbeat.
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You → experience → breath
For most people, there’s an easy way to make sure you’re getting enough iron, and it doesn’t necessarily require taking supplements.
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it → ’ → supplements
Here’s how much iron you need daily, along with some simple ways to get more of it in your diet.
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you → ’ → diet
How much iron do you need?
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you → need → iron
In general, health authorities recommend that adults get anywhere from 8 to 27 milligrams of iron on a daily basis.
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adults → recommend → basis
Men need a minimum of 8 mgs per day, as do women who are 51 or older.
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who → need → day
But women between the ages of 19 and 51 need more – approximately 18 mgs per day – to help replace the iron that they lose through their periods.
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they → need → periods
Pregnant women need even more iron – at least 27 mgs daily – and those who are breastfeeding should get 9 mgs.
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who → need → mgs
The iron in food comes in two forms, heme iron and non-heme iron.
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iron → come → forms
Heme iron is more easily absorbed by your body, and it’s found only in animal foods like red meat, poultry and seafood.
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it → absorb → meat
Plant foods such as beans, nuts and vegetables contain non-heme iron, which is not as easily absorbed.
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which → contain → iron
Because of this, health authorities say that daily iron requirements are 1.8 times higher for people who follow vegan and vegetarian diets compared with people who eat red meat and other animal foods.
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who → say → meat
You may also need more iron than normal if you exercise a lot.
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you → need → iron
In fact, studies have found that people who are physically active are more likely to be iron deficient than people who are sedentary.
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who → find → people
How much iron you need will depend on how much you exercise.
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you → need → iron
If you’re training for a marathon or a triathlon for example, then you may be at high risk of an iron deficiency.
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you → train → deficiency
“But if you’re exercising moderately, you have a moderate risk,” said Amy Stephens, a sports dietitian at New York University who writes a blog on nutrition.
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who → exercise → nutrition
And if you run or play sports a couple times a week, then your risk will be lower.
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risk → run → sports
Signs of low iron levels
If you’re not getting enough iron, you may experience some of the following symptoms:
- Persistent tiredness, weakness or low energy levels that don’t go away even when you’ve had enough sleep.
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you → get → sleep
“Some people say they feel like they’re walking in quicksand,” Stephens said.
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Stephens → say → quicksand
This can occur even after mild exertion, like walking up a short flight of stairs.
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This → occur → stairs
This can be a sign that your body is working harder to circulate oxygen.
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body → work → oxygen
“You may feel that you’re just not performing in the way that you should be,” Stephens said.
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Stephens → feel → way
“You might experience heavy legs – a feeling that those legs do not want to get off the ground.
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legs → experience → ground
If you notice any of these symptoms, consider seeing a health care provider.
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you → notice → provider
They can order a serum ferritin test to check whether your body’s iron reserves are depleted.
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reserves → order → test
They can also check your haemoglobin and red blood cell levels to see if you’re anaemic.
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you → check → levels
How to boost your iron levels naturally
If your iron levels are very low, then your health care provider might recommend you take an iron supplement.
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you → boost → supplement
But for many people, a simple way to boost your iron levels is to evaluate your diet and make some changes.
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way → boost → changes
“Before jumping to supplements, fix the foundation,” Stephens said.
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Stephens → jump → foundation
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
