Pregnant people should talk with their doctor to determine their specific recommended dosage. According to the U. However, it takes much longer to build up your iron reserves.
Iron is an essential mineral for maintaining good health. Iron supplements are an excellent way to prevent complications of iron deficiency anemia. If you think you may have iron deficiency anemia, talk with your doctor about whether iron supplements are right for you. Iron deficiency anemia is a common nutritional disorder that occurs when the body lacks iron. If you're recently diagnosed with the condition, use…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Understanding Iron Supplements for Anemia.
Benefits of iron supplements. Side effects. Natural iron supplements. In pregnancy. About Us. Precision Medicine. Genome Editing and Gene Therapy. Immunologic Treatment. Research Support and Funding. Iron-Deficiency Anemia. Am I at Risk? The following groups of people are at highest risk for iron-deficiency anemia: Women who menstruate, particularly if menstrual periods are heavy Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding or those who have recently given birth People who have undergone major surgery or physical trauma People with gastrointestinal diseases such as celiac disease sprue , inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, or Crohn disease People with peptic ulcer disease People who have undergone bariatric procedures, especially gastric bypass operations Vegetarians, vegans, and other people whose diets do not include iron-rich foods Iron from vegetables, even those that are iron-rich, is not absorbed as well as iron from meat, poultry, and fish.
Children who drink more than 16 to 24 ounces a day of cow's milk Cow's milk not only contains little iron, but it can also decrease absorption of iron and irritate the intestinal lining causing chronic blood loss.
Other less common causes of iron deficiency include: Blood loss from the gastrointestinal tract due to gastritis inflammation of the stomach , esophagitis inflammation of the esophagus , ulcers in the stomach or bowel, hemorrhoids, angiodysplasia leaky blood vessels similar to varicose veins in the gastrointestinal tract , infections such as diverticulitis, or tumors in the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, or colon Blood loss from chronic nosebleeds Blood loss from the kidneys or bladder Frequent blood donations Intravascular hemolysis, a condition in which red blood cells break down in the blood stream, releasing iron that is then lost in the urine.
This sometimes occurs in people who engage in vigorous exercise, particularly jogging. This can cause trauma to small blood vessels in the feet, so called "march hematuria. Symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia are related to decreased oxygen delivery to the entire body and may include: Being pale or having yellow "sallow" skin Unexplained fatigue or lack of energy Shortness of breath or chest pain, especially with activity Unexplained generalized weakness Rapid heartbeat Pounding or "whooshing" in the ears Headache, especially with activity Craving for ice or clay - "picophagia" Sore or smooth tongue Brittle nails or hair loss How Is Iron-Deficiency Anemia Diagnosed?
In an individual who is anemic from iron deficiency, these tests usually show the following results: Low hemoglobin Hg and hematocrit Hct Low mean cellular volume MCV Low ferritin Low serum iron FE High transferrin or total iron-binding capacity TIBC Low iron saturation The peripheral smear or blood slide may show small, oval-shaped cells with pale centers. These tests may include the following: Testing for blood in the stool fecal occult blood test Looking for abnormalities in the gastrointestinal tract - upper and lower endoscopy looking into the stomach, esophagus, or colon with a tube , capsule enteroscopy swallowing a tiny camera that takes images of the gastrointestinal tract , barium enema, barium swallow, or small bowel biopsy Testing the urine for blood or hemoglobin In women with abnormal or increased menstrual blood losses, a gynecologic evaluation that may include a pelvic ultrasound or uterine biopsy Sometimes it is difficult to diagnose the cause of iron deficiency, or your doctor may be concerned that there is a problem other than iron deficiency causing the anemia.
How Is Iron Deficiency Treated? There are several ways to increase iron intake: Diet Meat: beef, pork, or lamb, especially organ meats such as liver Poultry: chicken, turkey, and duck, especially liver and dark meat Fish, especially shellfish, sardines, and anchovies Leafy green members of the cabbage family including broccoli, kale, turnip greens, and collard greens Legumes, including lima beans, peas, pinto beans, and black-eyed peas Iron-enriched pastas, grains, rice, and cereals Medicinal Iron The amount of iron needed to treat patients with iron deficiency is higher than the amount found in most daily multivitamin supplements.
Intravenous Iron In some cases your doctor may recommend intravenous IV iron. IV iron comes in different preparations: Iron dextran Iron sucrose Ferric gluconate Large doses of iron can be given at one time when using iron dextran.
But continue taking a higher dose if advised to by a GP. Page last reviewed: 03 August Next review due: 03 August Iron is important in making red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Good sources of iron Good sources of iron include: liver but avoid this during pregnancy red meat beans, such as red kidney beans, edamame beans and chickpeas nuts dried fruit — such as dried apricots fortified breakfast cereals soy bean flour How much iron do I need?
Iron is naturally available in the foods you eat, and there are two main types — heme and nonheme iron. On the other hand, nonheme iron comes from plant sources , including legumes, leafy greens, and nuts. Iron is an essential nutrient. Two types of iron are found in the human diet — heme iron comes from animal protein, while nonheme iron comes from plants. Your body can absorb heme iron more readily.
This is because menstruation does not typically begin before age 13 3. Newborn babies need the least amount of iron from their diet. The Adequate Intake AI for infants from birth and up to the first 6 months is 0.
The AI is simply an average of what is normally consumed by healthy, breastfed infants. Thus, their needs are met through breastfeeding alone or from formula 4. Babies who spent less time in the womb, such as premature babies, need more iron than full-term infants. The same holds true for babies with low birth weight. However, AIs for premature and low-birthweight infants have not been established.
Into the second 6 months of life, 7- to month-old infants should get significantly more iron, at 11 mg daily, according to the Recommended Dietary Allowance RDA 4. This is due to their rapidly developing brains and blood supply needs. Iron is crucial to proper brain development. Then, from ages 4 to 8, boys and girls should get 10 mg of iron from their diet each day. In later childhood, from 9 to 13 years, kids need 8 mg of dietary iron daily 3.
This helps supports growth spurts common at this age 3. Teenaged girls need more iron than boys their age — 15 mg daily. This is because they need to not only support growth but also compensate for iron lost through menstruation 5 , 6 , 7. Significant physical and brain growth has slowed by age Whether 19 or 99, younger and older adult men alike need 8 mg daily to maintain their health 3. Highly-active men, such as endurance athletes , may need more than this amount, as your body loses iron through sweat 1.
The typical adult — male or female — stores between 1—3 grams of iron in their body. Simultaneously, about 1 mg is lost daily due to the shedding of the skin and mucosal surfaces like that lining your gut 3. Women who menstruate need more iron. At the beginning of the menstrual cycle, the body loses about 2 mg daily, as blood is shed from the lining of the uterus 3 , 5 , 6 , 7.
Between 19 and 50 years of age, women need 18 mg of iron per day.
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