Iron deficiency can be a serious problem for people of all ages. Our blood has a large number of vital functions, one of which is transporting oxygen to our cells. This oxygen is vital for transforming glucose and ketones into ATP, the energy our cells use, rather than fats, which is energy we store.
An important part of red blood cells is hemoglobin – a combination of proteins and iron which absorbs and carries oxygen to wherever it is needed. When our bodies cannot carry oxygen to the cells, we call this anemia. There are three leading causes of anemia:
- Lack of red blood cells. Usually caused by heavy bleeding, starvation, or a bone marrow disorder.
- Lack of hemoglobin. Usually caused by an autoimmune or developmental disorder, or a wasting disease.
- Lack of iron. Usually caused by poor diet, or poor absorption of the iron in our diets.
Low iron is the single greatest cause of anemia in both developed and developing nations. Quite simply, our body is not getting all the iron it needs, for whatever reason. This can lead to a whole host of health problems, many of which can
Iron Deficiency Symptoms
There are some tell-tale symptoms of iron deficiency at all stages of its development and at all levels of severity, so it’s important to keep an eye out for them, as they can tell you not only whether or not you are anemic, but also how anemic you are, and how long you have possibly been anemic.
Early on you will most likely experience fatigue, strong food cravings, and paleness. The fatigue is because your cells are not receiving enough oxygen fast enough. At first this may just happen when you are active, or if you haven’t had something to eat recently. However, as time goes on and your iron deficiency becomes more severe you may feel fatigued starting from the afternoon, then earlier and earlier until you experience it all day.
The cravings are your body asking for nutrition, and may be for red meats, legumes, sweet foods, or organ meats. And the paleness indicates a drop in the hemoglobin levels in your system, which may start as white nails and paler skin, and progress onto ashy, very pale skin.
As time goes by your blood pressure will drop, you will experience mood swings, headaches, and general weakness. Your mouth may also become sore and ulcerated. Mood swings, headaches, and general weakness are all linked to a drop in oxygen levels, and are the next stage from fatigue.
Many people at this point are unaware it is an iron deficiency causing them trouble. Blood pressure drops happen for a similar reason, as less iron means thinner blood, which can sometimes cause loss of pressure. This may start only when you’re active, but progress onto happening whenever you move. A sore mouth is a classic sign of anemia, where the lining of your mouth and your tongue, among other open soft tissues in your body, swell and become thinner, resulting in soreness, ulcers, and even bleeding.
When the iron deficiency is particularly severe you may experience a loss of appetite or a craving for odd foods or non-food-items. At this stage you will notice more hair falling out than usual, thickened patches of skin, and rough, brittle nails too. This is the effect of long term lack of energy in our cells, as a result of a lack of oxygen to transform our glucose and ketones to ATP.
Without fuel, our cells can’t do their jobs as efficiently, and one of the cells jobs is regrowing our bodies. Thick and rough skin, hair loss, and rough, brittle nails result. As we are not getting enough iron from food sources, our bodies may seek it in nonfood items, in an attempt to meet their needs.
Iron Deficiency Causes
The leading cause of iron deficiency is simply not eating enough iron. Your diet needs to be full of iron-rich foods to ensure you get enough. Red meats, especially organ meats such as liver, are rich in iron. Legumes and dried fruits are excellent vegan sources of iron. A supplement will do if you are not keen on any of the foods which are high in iron.
Another common cause is not eating enough vitamin C. We need vitamin C to absorb and use our iron efficiently. You can get enough vitamin C by eating fruits and leafy greens daily, by cooking your iron-rich foods in a high vitamin C plant, or eating them together, or by having a vitamin C supplement with your meal.
As vitamin C is water soluble, you will urinate out any excess, and store very little of it. You need to eat vitamin C at least daily to get enough.
A final vitamin deficiency which can cause reduced iron supply is B vitamin deficiency. All the B vitamins are needed to ensure that iron can do its job, as they also help converting glucose and ketones to ATP. Without enough B vitamins we could experience many of the symptoms of iron deficiency, even if our blood iron levels are normal.
Some people with some health conditions need a higher amount of iron than a healthy person. In this case it is still a deficiency caused by not eating enough iron, but we have changed the amount that is “enough”.
Sometimes there is no answer as to what is causing our deficiency, but even so, it can still be treated by oral iron and vitamin C supplements, and if these work, and there is no obvious sign of bleeding, then there is no hurry to discover the cause of our deficiency.
Iron as You Grow Older
There is no single reason why an older person may suffer anemia, but it is well documented that anemia is very common in people aged fifty and above. Oftentimes, this will go undiagnosed for a long period of time, as the symptoms can be confusing to some older people and even their doctors. Fatigue, loss of color, hair loss, and a sore mouth are not uncommon in people as we grow older, and could easily be due to other ailments.
To further complicate matters, many doctors assume that reduced iron levels are part of the normal course of aging. Although it is true that iron levels drop as we grow older, if you have reduced iron levels and are experiencing the symptoms of iron deficiency, you may want to investigate your situation, and possibly a go for a diagnosis. In eighty percent of cases, low iron in an older person is a case of anemia which can be explained and treated.
The most common cause of anemia in people aged fifty and over is actually chronic inflammation. Many diseases make our bodies swell up, causing our iron to be wasted. The overall effect is fluid retention which may result in our blood being more diluted and not enough iron reaching all our cells. This inflammation typically comes from arthritis, cancer, or kidney failure. It can also come from the medications used to treat these conditions.
The second most common cause is the usual one: a lack of iron. However, as we grow older we are more likely to suffer conditions and take medications which result in a higher need for iron. For example, if you are a long term aspirin or ibuprofen user, if you suffer a gut issue such as celiac disease or leaky bowel syndrome, or if you have had illness or surgery which affected your bowels, you may find that you are losing a small amount of blood from your intestine. This will not be enough to notice in your stools, but over time it adds up and iron deficiency can result.
Another problem which may result in too little iron being absorbed is weak stomach acid. If we do not fully digest our food, we can’t draw out the micronutrients locked inside it. As we grow older our stomach acid grows weaker. Many people also take antacids, which make our stomach acid even weaker than is normal. This means our food is less digested by the time it leaves our stomach, so our bodies may not be able to get the iron out of it.
Iron Deficiency in Women
Iron deficiency in women over the age of fifty ought to be rare. Due to losing blood monthly throughout their fertile years, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women are actually more at risk of high blood iron than low blood iron. However, this does not mean that low iron does not happen in older women, and because it is so rare, we need to remain vigilant. This is especially true as we leave our fifties and sixties, because iron deficiencies spike after this age, with one in six women over eighty-five suffering an iron deficiency.
Entering your fifties, the most important thing for women entering and exiting the menopause is not to eat too much iron. Fertile women need 18 milligrams a day to stay on top of their blood loss, whereas low fertility and infertile women need only 8 milligrams.
The problem arises as the years go by. This is because as women grow older, they tend to eat much less. This is only natural, as your metabolism crashes as you age, and postmenopausal women have some of the lowest calorie needs of all.
Secondly, women over a certain age will not eat many red meats or legumes, due to difficulty digesting them and a risk of flatulence. Both of these dietary changes are perfectly understandable, considering the bigger picture, however the end result is that the older a woman gets, the less iron she consumes.
What is more, conditions such as gut problems, arthritis, and osteoporosis can cause inflammation, which raises her needs for iron. The end result is that as the years go by a woman needs more and more iron, but eats less and less. It is important to keep an eye out for signs of anemia in your sixties and beyond, especially if your diet is much different from your fifties.
Iron Deficiency in Men
Iron deficiency in men of all ages is much rarer than in women of any age, as men do not suffer frequent blood loss throughout their youth and are not usually averse to consuming foods such as red meats, legumes, and fortified cereals. However, yet again, in older men iron deficiency becomes more common.
Digestive disorders are the leading cause of iron deficiency anemia in older men, often due to the very dietary persistence that keeps other men’s iron levels topped up! By continuing to eat foods which cause irritation, an older man risks speeding up digestion or lining the digestive tract, preventing iron absorption, and bleeding through the lining of his gut, losing iron content.
Again, just as with women, inflammation is also a leading cause of iron deficiency in men. Many men suffer chronic inflammation from their forties onward, and starting in your fifties, this inflammation may begin to take a toll.
If you have an autoimmune condition, a gut disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, a heart condition, cancer, or a kidney problem, then you are at high risk of iron deficiency. If you are on medication for any of these conditions, your risk is even higher.
Iron Deficiency Prevention
The very first step to preventing iron deficiency is to ensure you are eating enough iron, B vitamins, and vitamin C. Eating enough iron is as simple as eating a three ounce serving of red or organ meat, a cup of legumes, two servings of fortified grain products, or five prunes a day.
For vitamin C you need to have a piece of fruit to three pieces of fruit daily. A pint of blueberries is an excellent way of getting your vitamin C without consuming too many calories or grams of sugar. And for B vitamins, a variety of legumes, nuts, and animal products should guarantee that you get enough of each of them daily.
The next step is to ensure that your digestive tract is in good enough health to absorb these nutrients. This is especially the case if your diet is very good, but you are still suffering from low iron. If you know you have any food intolerance, do not consume these foods, even if you don’t feel unwell after “a little bit”.
Especially avoid wheat, corn, soy, and dairy if you have an intolerance to any of them, as these foods are particularly bad for your gut. Furthermore, do not eat foods that make you need antacids. Lowering the acidity of your stomach will stop you absorbing as many nutrients, so skip chili, alcohol, and caffeine until your blood iron levels are high enough.
If you have a hard time eating the right foods, or need antacids daily, or are doing as instructed but not seeing any results in your blood tests, consider a vitamin C and iron combined supplement. These supplements are very high in the nutrients you need, and very easily absorbed.
Plus, you know you are getting both nutrients in one go, which could help. However, do not resort to regular iron supplementation as a preventative measure, because iron overdose is also a very dangerous thing.
Iron Overdoses
It is very important to not jump the gun where iron deficiency is concerned. Many of the symptoms of an iron deficiency, such as fatigue, irritability, or weakness, are also symptoms of an excess of iron, which is also a huge problem. To assess whether or not you are suffering an iron deficiency, it is absolutely necessary to have a blood test taken.
Speak to your doctor about follow-ups on this test if your iron levels are too low or too high, to make sure that you find a healthy balance. What is more, make sure not to overdo your iron supplements if you are deficient, as you may very easily take too much iron. If you are taking a supplement, feel better for a short while, then feel your symptoms returning, you may be overdosing.
An iron overdose is very bad for our body as well. High iron levels not only cause a number of illnesses, but have been connected to many more ailments, from strokes to heart attacks. The most common results of excessive iron intake are cirrhosis of the liver, heart diseases including high blood pressure and heart failure, cancer of the liver and colon, early onset of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, and even septicemia, where your excess iron promotes the spread of harmful bacteria from the colon. All of this damage can be permanent if not addressed quickly.
As mentioned, many of the symptoms of iron overdose are the same as the symptoms of iron deficiency. So if you are experiencing pale skin, chronic fatigue, hair loss, mood swings, and joint pains, you may be experiencing the opposite problem of what you thought.
Signs of an iron overdose to look out for include: abdominal pains, hangover-like symptoms throughout the day, an irregular heartbeat, sudden onset of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, development of diabetes, hypothyroidism, and sudden development of cognitive problems. If you experience any of these symptoms at the same time as the common iron deficiency symptoms, then you could be suffering an iron overdose.
For this reason, it is vital to get a blood test before even considering supplementation. If your blood ferritin levels are normal, then simply eating a balanced diet should resolve slightly high or slightly low blood iron symptoms. If your levels are a little high or a little low but you feel fine, then that is probably due to natural variations in our blood iron levels. However, if your blood iron is excessively high or excessively low, you will need to take action to restore balance.
Iron Deficiency Can Be a Warning Sign of Other Problems
For most of us, the actions described here will completely resolve any iron problems we suffer. But if you suffer persistent, unexplained low iron levels, you will need to talk to your doctor about running a number more tests. It is not normal to have a slow decline of blood iron levels which cannot be fixed by eating well, taking supplements, or ensuring your body is given a good chance to digest and absorb the iron.
If you eat well, do not take antacids, are not eating anything you know to irritate your gut, are taking supplements, and do not have any blood condition that you know of, your blood iron levels should be normal, or even high. So if no matter what action you take, you find your blood iron levels are low, you will need to be checked for gut disorders, blood disorders, and cancer.
