Iron deficiency. Why does it manifest more often in women?

Iron deficiency arises either by not getting enough into organism due to incorrect eating habits or by sudden increase in need for it. The second reason can appear for example in children when they grow intensely or in pregnant women, because fetus growth requires lot of iron. Regular blood donors should also be vigilant. Vegans also belong to at-risk group, for them it is related to vitamin B12 deficiency, so they should definitely supplement this vitamin in form of dietary supplements.

iron deficiency

From iron deficiency arises anemia. If you have iron deficiency, it doesn't mean yet that you suffer from anemia too, but it is direct path to this diagnosis. And conversely it doesn't apply anymore, because anemia is always accompanied by iron deficiency.

Symptoms of anemia from iron deficiency

Symptoms of iron deficiency are barely visible in milder cases. But with worsening condition they manifest more and more:

fatigue,
exhaustion,
paleness,
weakness,
shortness of breath,
headaches,
dizziness,
malaise,
cold extremities,
irritability.

Frequent are also inflammations or aphthae on tongue, brittle nails, heart palpitations, unusual cravings (e.g. for ice, starch, sand), loss of appetite (this is most common in newborns) and restless legs syndrome.

Why does iron deficiency threaten mainly women?

First thing that could occur to you is that this phenomenon is related to menstruation. It is so. Heavy bleeding every month doesn't have to be disorder, but individual characteristic of given organism. However it doesn't mean that it cannot cause further complications, for example iron deficiency and in worse case anemia. If you bleed heavily during menstruation, we recommend you undergo blood tests. If you already feel clear symptoms of this health complication, think about iron supplementation in form of dietary supplements.

But besides monthly bleeding there is also another, quite insidious reason for this different tendency between women and men. Yet quite logical. Drastic diets and denying oneself food are in a way suppression of self-preservation instinct. Unfortunately, precisely women who are already threatened by biological givens can in this context suppress needs of their body just to comply with current trends. (Related to this is also loss of menstruation with extreme calorie deficit, because organism "saves minerals" for vital organs.)

Not by chance we warn so often that low-calorie diet does not equal healthy menu. Essence of weight loss is of course that you receive less energy (calories) than you expend. But really it doesn't matter whether its source will be 3 packs of chips or whole course of varied, colorful and healthy meals that supply your body with what it needs for proper functioning.

iron deficiency

Meals containing iron

Iron is essential trace element for organism. It cannot produce it without external source, so our menu should contain also meals rich in iron. It can be meals of animal and plant origin, although it is true that body can utilize iron from animal ingredients easier. Vitamin C is essential for its absorption, so combination of these two elements is welcome.

Meals that are rich in iron are following: