Take iron to get your mettle on
Iron is a key mineral that we all need but a lack of it is the most common dietary deficiency in the world.
IRON is a mineral vital to your inner health and outer beauty, particularly your energy and hair, yet iron deficiency is the most common dietary deficiency in the world. It particularly affects children, menstruating women, and pregnant women. In New Zealand, it is estimated that up to 25 per cent of children under the age of 3 have some degree of iron deficiency, a deeply concerning statistic.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a staggering two billion people in the world, in both developing and industrialised countries are iron-deficient. Research suggests between 20 and 30 per cent of women of childbearing age in Australia and New Zealand are iron-deficient.
Many people are confused about the difference between iron deficiency and another term you may have heard of, anaemia.
Immature red blood cells require iron to be converted by the body into a form they can use in order to mature. When fully mature, they will become the oxygen carriers of the body, distributing oxygen from the lungs to all the other cells throughout the body. They have a big and important job to do.
Iron deficiency is the first step towards a decrease in the amount of oxygen-carrying, iron-rich haemoglobin within each red blood cell. If red blood cells are deprived of the quota of iron, they become contracted and smaller, known in medical terms as
Sometimes iron deficiency, and often vitamin B12 deficiency, are the only signs of what is later diagnosed on biopsy as coeliac disease. Once gluten is removed from the diet, iron levels return to normal. Fibre also interferes with the absorption of dietary iron, so the fibre content of the diet must also be taken into account when determining the basis of the iron deficiency.
Iron is absolutely critical for great energy, sparkling eyes and a vitality that lasts all day. The main symptoms of iron deficiency include exhaustion, shortness of breath, especially on an incline, muscle aches and cramps, rapid pulse and heart palpitations, increased anxiety, brain fog, poor memory and concentration, headaches, depressed mood, hair loss and an increased frequency of infections.
A simple blood test from your doctor will establish whether you are iron-deficient or not. Testing is important because some people have a tendency to store too much iron in the body and this needs to be avoided, or treated if it already exists.
Food sources of iron include beef, lamb, eggs, mussels, sardines, lentils, and green leafy vegetables. Variety is key, as there is a small amount of iron in many foods.
If you do not eat animal foods, do not assume you are irondeficient. For some vegetarians, their body uses the iron from vegetable sources very efficiently.
Vegetable sources of iron are better absorbed in the presence of vitamin C. It is best to have a test before you supplement.
Dr Libby Weaver is a nutritional biochemist, best-selling author and speaker and is making a speaking tour of NZ. She is a regular contributor to Well & Good.