As a woman in my 40’s, I have been struggling with iron deficiency (anaemia) since my youth.
I have fainted a few times and been to the doctors for regular blood checks to monitor my anaemia.
So, I have spent most of my time researching anaemia caused by iron deficiency in adults.
Happy reading😀
Any questions? remarks? Let’s meet in the comments section at the end of this article.🙏
Last updated: August 2024. Written by Juliet Semakula, a diagnostic radiographer.
Disclaimer: no affiliate links.
▶️What is anaemia or iron deficiency? They all mean the same.
Anaemia occurs when the blood doesn’t have enough haemoglobin or red blood cells.
What does this mean: if your body doesn’t make enough haemoglobin or red blood cells.
Remember these haemoglobin molecules inside red blood cells pick up and carry the oxygen
These oxygen-rich cells travel in the blood vessels from the lungs to the left side of the heart. The blood is then pumped around the body.
So, when your body does not have the capacity to make enough red blood cells then this will result in anaemia. Or iron deficiency.
When you lack iron= you know you do not have enough haemoglobin= this will lead to not enough oxygen in the blood= anaemia.
▶️How to diagnose and identify iron deficiency symptoms.
Usually when I go to the doctors to check my iron , a blood test that measures the level of the haemoglobin and ferritin in the blood is done.
This is the usual way anaemia is diagnosed, symptoms alone can not determine whether you are anaemic because some symptoms may suggest other things but not lack of iron.
The chart below gives a picture of some of the symptoms I used to have before my doctor diagnosed me with anaemia.
Some of the symptoms caused by anaemia (iron deficiency)
I hope many of you relate to some of these symptoms.
Symptoms of iron deficiency more elaborated:
🟣Fatigue and Weakness:
Iron is essential for oxygen transport, so low iron levels can result in reduced energy levels and overall weakness.
🟣Pale Skin and Pale Nail Beds:
Reduced haemoglobin levels due to iron deficiency can lead to pale skin and pale nail beds.
🟣Shortness of Breath:
Insufficient oxygen supply to tissues can cause shortness of breath, especially during physical activity.
🟣Headaches and Dizziness:
Decreased oxygen delivery to the brain can result in headaches and dizziness.
🟣Cold Hands and Feet:
Poor circulation due to low haemoglobin levels can cause cold and restless extremities.
🟣Problems concentrating or thinking.
It’s important to get your iron levels checked occasionally when you start experiencing some of these symptoms. Reason being
▶️If left untreated, anaemia can lead to very serious health problems such as:
🟡Heart and lung problems such as abnormally fast heartbeat or failure.
🟡Complications during pregnancy such as early delivery.
🟡Make other chronic conditions worse you may have or cause their treatments to work poorly.
🟡Blood vessels can swell, blood pressure dropping, and it can result in headaches, neurological issues, and vertigo.
The interesting bit of anaemia is that you can have anaemia without iron deficiency, or you can be iron deficiency without anaemia.so get yourself ferritin checked
▶️Can my diet alone compensate for iron deficiency?
Iron balance is mainly regulated by the amount of iron absorption rather than elimination.
Equally, low iron levels reduce hepcidin production, allowing increased absorption of dietary iron and release of stored iron into the circulation to meet the body’s needs
⏭️Iron absorption involves heme iron from animal-based foods such as meats, poultry, and seafood, which are more readily absorbed and have a higher bioavailability than non-heme iron.
Once consumed, heme iron is released from ingested proteins in the stomach’s acidic environment and the small intestine
⏭️ And non-heme iron involves iron from plant-based foods and supplements such as beans, nuts, dark chocolate, legumes, spinach, and fortified grains.
It’s noted that heme iron is more absorbed efficiently than non-heme iron.
Moustarah 2024
It is sometimes possible for diet to compensate for anaemia if your deficiency is mild or moderate.
What we should know is: many factors may influence one’s iron intake and absorption.
For example: Phytates and fibres found in wholegrains such as bran can reduce the absorption of iron and other minerals.
Inadequate vitamin A in your diet could lead to iron deficiency because vitamin A helps to release stored iron.
Calcium and phosphorus reduce the absorption of plant-sourced (non-haem) iron.
Because of this sometimes diet alone may not be enough to compensate for iron deficiency
▶️What foods are rich in iron and can they get iron up fast?
| Foods rich in iron | Amount |
| Meat (lean ground beef) | 2.6mg |
| Red meat (liver) | 6.5 mg |
| Beans (red kidney beans) | 8.2mg |
| Eggs | 2.7mg |
| Dried fruit as apricots | 04 mg |
| Fortified breakfast cereals | 2.5mg |
| Soybean flour | 0.5mg |
| Fish such as salmon | 1.2mg |
| Vegetables (Spinach) | 3.6mg |
| Legumes such as lentils, chickpeas | 8mg |
| Mushroom | 0.5mg |
| Sesame seeds | 14.6mg |
| Pumpkin seeds | 8.8mg |
An overview of some foods rich in iron
▶️How do I limit and control my anaemia daily?
🟡As a woman with monthly periods, I tend to have heavy periods which most of the time leads to anaemia.
🟡I also have a genetic predisposition to anaemia.
🟡And sometimes I do not eat enough iron foods as I should.
🟡So, I have resorted to a regular three-month blood test to regulate my anaemia.
🟡Also, my doctor prescribed some iron supplement tablets with an iron diet to help raise my iron levels.
This is the dietary supplement I take: ferrous sulphate 200mg tablet
I take ONE tablet TWICE a day which contains 65 mg of ferrous iron.
Some people are lucky because they can get all the iron they need from their diet.
♦️As women the amount of iron we need a day is 14.8mg for those aged 19 to 49.
♦️ For men aged between 19 to 49 you need 8.7mg amount of iron a day
♦️ Women aged 50 and above need 8.7mg of iron a day.
Taking 17 mg or less a day of iron supplement is unlikely to cause any harm, you can continue taking a higher dose if advised by your GP.
If you take too much iron, you will have the following side effects.
♦️Feeling sick
♦️Constipation.
♦️Stomach pain.
Which sometimes I feel when I take these iron supplements.
▶️What other factors other than diet that affect anaemia?
🟩Blood loss
If you start bleeding in your stomach, inflammation from an infection, kidney disease, cancer, or autoimmune diseases.
Women having a heavy menstruation period can cause iron deficiency.
🟩Chronic diseases and iron absorption problems.
Having chronic kidney disease (CKD), chronic heart failure, inflammatory bowel disease, certain malignancies, and rheumatoid arthritis
🟩Genetic predispositions.
Having blood-related genetic abnormalities such as sickle cell genes can cause anaemia.
We have come to the end of this article, please look after your health and get your iron checked.
Wishing you a quick recovery.🙋
📚Source:
Skolmowska D, Głąbska D, Kołota A, Guzek D. Effectiveness of Dietary Interventions to Treat Iron-Deficiency Anaemia in Women: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 2022 Jun 30;14(13):2724. doi: 10.3390/nu14132724. PMID: 35807904; PMCID: PMC9268692.
Moustarah F, Daley SF. Dietary Iron. [Updated 2024 Jan 8]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK540969
Han O. Molecular mechanism of intestinal iron absorption. Metallomics. 2011 Feb;3(2):103-9. doi: 10.1039/c0mt00043d. Epub 2011 Jan 6. PMID: 21210059.