Why are you suffering from iron deficiency? 

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional disorder in the world. 

Iron deficiency means that there is too little iron in your body. The majority of the iron in your body is found in red blood cells. There, it is used to produce hemoglobin which helps carry oxygen through your body. Being iron deficient, you might feel tired, fatigued or dizzy or may experience shortness of breath. Additionally, since iron plays such a major role in the production of red blood cells, a lack of iron can cause a shortage of red blood cells called anemia. 

In this short blog we will discuss some of the main causes of iron deficiency and how you can check for it.

Insufficient dietary intake & malabsorption

One common cause of iron deficiency is inadequate iron intake through food. This does not only concern people suffering from undernourishment, but can also affect individuals following a vegetarian or vegan diet. This is because the type of iron that is present in meat, so called heme iron, is more easily absorbed by the body than the type of iron found in plants (non-heme iron). This means that in order to absorb enough iron from your meals you would have to eat disproportionally more plants than you would have to eat meat. Nonetheless, it is absolutely possible to obtain sufficient amounts of iron from a plant-based diet. 

It is important to know that even with an iron-rich diet it is possible to develop iron deficiency. Conditions like celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or certain bowel surgeries can impair the body’s ability to absorb iron from the diet. People suffering from one of these or a similar condition may need to use iron supplements to counteract the malabsorption and ensure sufficient iron uptake. You can read more about celiac disease and how it affects iron levels in our previous blog post.

Increased demand

Another reason for iron sufficiency is an increased demand for iron. Iron demand can increase under certain circumstances, e.g. when doing lots of sports or during pregnancy.

Compared to the general population, physically active people are more likely to develop iron deficiency as iron demand increases during exercise. Additionally, some substances in the body which can be present after heavy exercise can decrease iron absorption. Learn more about additional factors and how to take action in our recent blog post about sports and iron deficiency.

Another reason for increased iron demand is pregnancy. This is because the body has to produce more blood to support fetal growth. The demand increases so strongly that nearly everyone who is pregnant is estimated to suffer from iron deficiency to some degree. In low-income communities more than half of all pregnant women even suffer from iron deficiency anemia. The need for more iron increases the most during the second half of the pregnancy and especially during the last trimester. To avoid iron deficiency, it is often suggested by doctors to supplement iron in pregnant people. 

Blood loss

Regular or recent blood loss can also lower your iron levels, since the majority of iron is stored in red blood cells. The iron that is lost from the body during bleeding has to be replaced, either from food or via supplements, also depending on the amount of lost blood. Examples for regular blood loss potentially causing iron deficiency are: Heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhea), bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, e.g. due to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or frequent blood donations. 

How do you check for iron deficiency? 

One marker that is an indicator for the body’s iron stores is serum ferritin. Measuring serum ferritin to check for iron deficiency is widely established in clinical practice. Low ferritin levels indicate iron deficiency whereas elevated ferritin levels may point out a possible iron overload.

The Bloom Ferritin Test checks if your ferritin is within the normal range or at a low or high level. The result is available on your smartphone within a few minutes, including a personalized interpretation of the value and, if needed, recommendations on how to improve your iron store levels.

Would you like to know more about the Bloom Ferritin Test? Read more about it here.

References 

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5. Iron deficiency anaemia. National Health Service. Published October 23, 2017. Accessed March 5, 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/iron-deficiency-anaemia/
6. World Health Organization. Assessing the Iron Status of populations.; 2007. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/75368/9789241596107_eng.pdf;jsessionid=9A23E80B04A9F526E275DDDBFA2AA35F?sequence=1
7. World Health Organization. Iron Deficiency Anaemia: Assessment, Prevention, and Control: a Guide for Program Managers.; 2001. Accessed March 5, 2024. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/iron-children-6to23–archived-iron-deficiency-anaemia-assessment-prevention-and-control
8. Utrilla Fornals A, Costas-Batlle C, Medlin S, et al. Metabolic and Nutritional Issues after Lower Digestive Tract Surgery: The Important Role of the Dietitian in a Multidisciplinary Setting. Nutrients. 2024;16(2):246. Published 2024 Jan 12. doi:10.3390/nu16020246
9. Kaitha S, Bashir M, Ali T. Iron deficiency anemia in inflammatory bowel disease. World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol. 2015 Aug 15;6(3):62-72. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.v6.i3.62.