Iron Deficiency: 12 Signs That You May Have One

glamour.com:

prove that we're increasingly health conscious. But unsexy habits, such as making sure you're not suffering from an iron deficiency, shouldn't fall by the wayside.Iron is a key mineral to keep your body running. “It impacts physical and mental performance," , a nutritional therapist, tells Glamour UK. "Iron is needed to produce hemoglobin, the protein in our red blood cells that carries oxygen to our tissues, and myoglobin—the protein in our muscles that stores oxygen."That said, a lack of iron, which can lead to iron deficiency anemia, is fairly common, especially for women.“Iron deficiency can be particularly tricky to identify because its symptoms often overlap with those of other common conditions, nutritionist tells Glamour UK. “Fatigue or shortness of breath can be easily brushed off as or a busy schedule, while mood changes and headaches could easily be mistaken for signs of dehydration or other nutritional deficiencies," she notes.It's only when the iron deficiency becomes more severe that those telltale symptoms, like a paler complexion and , kick in.“This is why it's so crucial to be proactive, especially if you're in a high-risk group like women of childbearing age, vegetarians, vegans, or athletes,” Lakhani-Kanji adds.While the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of iron for men is 8mg for men, it is more than double for women at 18mg.

This amount increases even more during pregnancy "because our blood volume increases by 45%,” says Stephenson. “Your iron requirements will shoot up in the second trimester to 27mg daily.

Once women stop menstruation, their iron requirements match those of men.”When you think of iron, you probably visualize a rib-eye steak, the rarer the better.