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Iron Deficiency… Part 1
This is really common, and something I have struggled with since my daughter was born more than three years ago. I have spoken about it before – and posted a selfie mid iron infusion earlier this year!
It is something that affects women more than men, as we lose iron through menstrual blood – and crazily, the more deficient we are, the more we lose!
So if you have heavy periods, endometriosis, or have suffered blood loss through birth or miscarriage you may have low iron stores.
I will do a live video to explain the 4 different factors involved in iron, and tested for on blood tests as it would be too wordy here!
The majority of pharmaceutical iron supplements contain the Ferrous Sulphate form of iron, which is proven to cause negative GIT side effects at any dose, and is really poorly absorbed. We manage to retain less than 20% of what is in the capsule, tablet or liquid.
But there is hope – there are gentler forms that are much easier to absorb, and we need much less of them to get the same effect. I’ll share some of them later in the week, along with foods that boost our levels, and other tips and tricks!
Iron Deficiency… Part 2
This can make you feel terrible in so many ways.
I thought iron deficiency just made you tired, or short of breath, but my gosh the headaches I had daily almost drove me insane, and the affect it has on your mood and motivation is crazy too. Low iron often leads to low dopamine – and this governs our motivation to exercise, motivation to leave the house, motivation to have sex (as its tied to our libido), and whether we can feel the happier emotions. It can leave us a bit apathetic…
When it comes to iron deficiency we need to look at three factors:
- Are we getting enough from our diet or supplements?
- Are we absorbing it properly? (inflammation in general, and of the intestines, illness, genetics and other conditions like coeliacs can affect this)
- Are we losing it somehow? I mentioned menstrual blood loss yesterday – but we also need to consider intestinal bleeds or other occult loss.
So its not as simple as having a diet high in iron, if we can’t absorb it, or if we have a genetic variant that blocks our ability to absorb it.
Our stomach acid levels are also key for ensuring the iron is separated from our food, so anything that lowers them may interfere..
Watch today’s live video on the 4 factors we test for on blood tests, and check in tomorrow for more iron info!
Iron Deficiency… Part 3
Stay tuned!