Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia in Women
About a third of the population of the world, are anemic, predominantly due to iron deficiency [1].
In Canada 7% of the total population is suffering iron deficiency and more than 40% of those are women [2].
Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional problems in the world and disproportionately affects women and children. Daily iron requirement: only 5–10 % comes from the diet [1].
Iron Deficiency in Females
Despite iron being one of the most abundant elements in the earth’s crust, iron deficiency is the most common nutritional problem worldwide and presents significant public health challenges. Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) disproportionately affect women and children [1].
Women are particularly at risk of iron deficiency because the up-regulation of iron absorption is limited and may not be enough to compensate for iron lost during menstruation. Any additive factor affecting iron balance such as impaired iron absorption, inflammatory conditions, increased blood loss or increased demands such as closely spaced pregnancies can result in a loss of iron that cannot be compensated for by increased absorption [1].
Iron Deficiency in Premenopausal Women
Premenopausal women are vulnerable to ID partly because of iron lost in menstrual blood but also because they often have a low dietary iron intake and may follow restrictive dietary practices to lose weight. Dietary iron recommendations are 18 mg/d for women of reproductive age compared to 8 mg/d for men [3].
Iron Deficiency Symptoms in Women
ID is associated with a range of clinical outcomes including depression, reduced endurance and work performance, and compromised intellectual and cognitive functions [4]. Poor iron status has been associated with symptoms such as apathy, irritability, depression, fatigue and problems with concentration [1].
Both ID and IDA affect work productivity, voluntary activity (observed as an increase in sedentary behavior), fatigue and athletic performance. When iron supplements are given to individuals who have ID (reduced iron stores) but normal hemoglobin concentrations, an improvement in fatigue is reported because the synthesis of the iron-dependent enzymes involved in substrate metabolism and the electron transfer chain is increased [1].
Incidence and Prevalence
The prevalence of ID is significantly higher than IDA, particularly in women. ID is associated with a range of clinical outcomes including depression, reduced endurance and work performance, and compromised intellectual and cognitive functions [1].
- Coad, Jane, and Kevin Pedley. “Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in women.” Scandinavian journal of clinical and laboratory investigation. Supplementum 244 (2014): 82-9; discussion 89. doi:10.3109/00365513.2014.936694 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25083899/
- Cooper, Marcia et al. “Population Iron Status in Canada: Results from the Canadian Health Measures Survey 2012-2019.” The Journal of nutrition 153,5 (2023): 1534-1543. doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.03.012
- Trumbo P, Yates AA, Schlicker S, Poos M. Dietary reference intakes: vitamin A, vitamin K, arsenic, boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc. J Am Diet Assoc 2001;101: 294–301. - https://www.jandonline.org/article/S0002-8223(01)00078-5/abstract
- McClung JP, Murray-Kolb LE. Iron nutrition and premenopausal women: effects of poor iron status on physical and neuropsychological performance. Annu Rev Nutr 2013; 33:271–88. - https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-nutr-071812-161205
Could you be experiencing iron deficiency?
