70% of women and 40% of men have low iron

@Rainbowbow -
Thanks for that list! I've been struggling with iron deficiency anemia for several months now. So naturally I've read a lot on the subject, but I don't remember coming across eggs inhibiting absorption. I wonder if that's been a major contributor for me. I eat a lot eggs! Actually, I eat a lot of everything on that list.

JaneiR36 wrote: »

Ok. The donation center didn't tell her to consume super iron heavy supplements, though. I don't necessarily agree with The idea that their information is dangerous because they tell donors to eat food. The additional iron in all likelihood will increase hemoglobin to donation levels, so their approach seems consistent with reality to me. In my case, I was explicitly told that being just below the cutoff was no cause for alarm as regarding my personal health. I suppose I don't know if OP was told that, too.

Ah, I see what you mean. The "danger" I was referring to wasn't about whether being low means deficiency. I'm referring to how people equate iron and hemoglobin. They're two different things. One could have hemoglobin below the donation cut off and have good iron. Their iron isn't what's causing the low hemo. Also, one could have lowish but still "normal" hemo (say, between 12 and 12.5 for a woman) and be iron deficienct.

The danger I'm concerned about is the way blood donation centers and many other health care workers discuss hemoglobin. It often leaves people with the impression that their hemoglobin reveals their iron status, and that's not the case.

Personally I'd advise that if someone is below the hemoglobin cut-off to give blood, that they *should* go to their doctor and get their iron tested. It's possible that they're already iron deficient. The body can work very hard to keep hemoglobin levels "normal" even when it has inadequate iron. It can only do that for so long though. Eventually the iron stores get used up and hemoglobin then plummets (since iron is one of hemo's building blocks). That was exactly what happened to me. I think it's a shame that iron testing (i.e., ferritin, iron serum, and TIBC) isn't typically a part of routine blood work. I hope that changes.

As far as iron...My supplement contains 208% RDA per dose. My doctor has me taking it 3x a day now. Multis don't contain above 100% afaik.

Re: absorption...That's a great point. One of the reasons I'm taking ferrous gluconate (besides it not killing my stomach ) is that a doctor told me that it's the best absorbed form of iron. Iron is a personal interest of his. Many otherwise excellent GPs don't have much in depth knowledge on iron and unfortunately still recommend forms of iron that aren't as good.

littlechiaseed wrote: »

Weird so y'all don't eat a lot of iron? Btw you don't need red meat for iron. I don't eat any meat and my last iron count was 15 and this was right after my period and they are pretty heavy. Maybe try some more beans, chickpeas, soy, etc

Some people are more prone to having low iron than others. I started with my pregnancies. Each one I had low iron and it's bad. Now that I am older I have heavier periods so it tends to get low then. I am not a red meat eater. Not that because I think it's bad I just don't like the taste.

Also milk and milk products if you tend to eat or drink a lot of those can drain the iron from you. That is the cause of my younger two's iron deficiency but they act like they are dying if I limit them.

stevencloser wrote: »

I'm confused by those numbers thrown around.
A friend and I went to donate blood recently and beforehand they did an iron test where they gave us a little prick in the finger, swabbed up a drop of blood and put it in a machine that gave a number out. Apparently 9.1 and 9.6 respectively were totally fine there. Was that just a different scale or a different iron thing or what?

@stevencloser , I don't know if it's a scale issue. I believe the hemoglobin unit being used in my case is grams per deciliter (g/dL) and the donation level for me was around 13 g/dL

@Chunkahlunkah still exhausted but that's part of crohn's. Oh my blood was a mess as I also had very low albumin and b12. I noticed I waa losing my colour again but I see ppis can cause your iron to drop? I started taking omeprazole in July.

singingflutelady wrote: »

@Chunkahlunkah still exhausted but that's part of crohn's. Oh my blood was a mess as I also had very low albumin and b12. I noticed I waa losing my colour again but I see ppis can cause your iron to drop? I started taking omeprazole in July.

Man, that's tough. I hope you have more good days than bad ones. Chronic illnesses suck.

rainbowbow wrote: »

littlechiaseed wrote: »

Well I mean without a medical issue for low iron, like strictly low from your diet.

like i mentioned as well.... most non-meat sources of iron are poor. There's a good reason it's the most common deficiency in the world.

Not everyone has access to consuming red meats or foods fortified in iron. In my country we don't have any fortified foods (think oatmeals, cereals, breads, etc.). Unless i get iron from the foods i eat (which are all non-heme because i'm a vegetarian) it's super easy to get 20-30% RDA each day.

Just think about all the places in the world where either finances or culture dictate a more plant-based diet. Most non-meat sources of iron are packed full of iron inhibitors, meaning even though the food may be "high in iron" the iron is poorly absorbed. for example:

• Medications that reduce the amount of acid in the stomach such as antacids or proton pump inhibitors.
• Calcium (like iron) is an essential mineral, which means the body gets this nutrient from diet. Calcium is found in foods such as milk, yogurt, cheese, sardines, canned salmon, tofu, broccoli, almonds, figs, turnip greens and rhubarb and is the only known substance to inhibit absorption of both non-heme and heme iron.
• Eggs contain a compound that impairs absorption of iron. Phosphoprotein called phosvitin is a protein with a iron binding capacity that may be responsible for the low bioavailability of iron from eggs. This iron inhibiting characteristic of eggs is called the “egg factor”. The egg factor has been observed in several separate studies. One boiled egg can reduce absorption of iron in a meal by as much as 28%.
• Oxalates impair the absorption of nonheme iron. Oxalates are compounds derived from oxalic acid and found in foods such as spinach, kale, beets, nuts, chocolate, tea, wheat bran, rhubarb, strawberries and herbs such as oregano, basil, and parsley. The presence of oxalates in spinach explains why the iron in spinach is not absorbed. In fact, it is reported that the iron from spinach that does get absorbed is probably from the minute particles of sand or dirt clinging to the plant rather than the iron contained in the plant.
• Polyphenols are major inhibitors of iron absorption. Polyphenols or phenolic compounds include chlorogenic acid found in cocoa, coffee and some herbs. Phenolic acid found in apples, peppermint and some herbal teas, and tannins found in black teas, coffee, cocoa, spices, walnuts, fruits such as apples, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries all have the ability to inhibit iron absorption. Coffee is high in tannin and chlorogenic acid; one cup of certain types of coffee can inhibit iron absorption by as much as 60%.
• Phytate is a compound contained in soy protein and fiber. Even low levels of phytate (about 5 percent of the amounts in cereal whole flours) have a strong inhibitory effect on iron bioavailability. Phytate is found in walnuts, almonds, sesame, dried beans, lentils and peas, and cereals and whole grains. Phytate compounds can reduce iron absorption by 50% to 65 %

this coupled with a heavy period... i mean, come on. it's not that hard to understand. Women's RDA is already twice the value of men.... and you need MORE iron if you have digestive disorders, have recently donated blood, have a Malabsorption syndrome, or are pregnant. I'd say these are fairly common.

i think i could not drink tea with meals....just drink it separate of meals.

has anyone been told to get colonoscopy to fix iron issues....seems odd to me...not having any particular GI symptoms....no dark stools.

yirara wrote: »

goldengirl111 wrote: »

rainbowbow wrote: »

littlechiaseed wrote: »

Well I mean without a medical issue for low iron, like strictly low from your diet.

like i mentioned as well.... most non-meat sources of iron are poor. There's a good reason it's the most common deficiency in the world.

Not everyone has access to consuming red meats or foods fortified in iron. In my country we don't have any fortified foods (think oatmeals, cereals, breads, etc.). Unless i get iron from the foods i eat (which are all non-heme because i'm a vegetarian) it's super easy to get 20-30% RDA each day.

Just think about all the places in the world where either finances or culture dictate a more plant-based diet. Most non-meat sources of iron are packed full of iron inhibitors, meaning even though the food may be "high in iron" the iron is poorly absorbed. for example:

• Medications that reduce the amount of acid in the stomach such as antacids or proton pump inhibitors.
• Calcium (like iron) is an essential mineral, which means the body gets this nutrient from diet. Calcium is found in foods such as milk, yogurt, cheese, sardines, canned salmon, tofu, broccoli, almonds, figs, turnip greens and rhubarb and is the only known substance to inhibit absorption of both non-heme and heme iron.
• Eggs contain a compound that impairs absorption of iron. Phosphoprotein called phosvitin is a protein with a iron binding capacity that may be responsible for the low bioavailability of iron from eggs. This iron inhibiting characteristic of eggs is called the “egg factor”. The egg factor has been observed in several separate studies. One boiled egg can reduce absorption of iron in a meal by as much as 28%.
• Oxalates impair the absorption of nonheme iron. Oxalates are compounds derived from oxalic acid and found in foods such as spinach, kale, beets, nuts, chocolate, tea, wheat bran, rhubarb, strawberries and herbs such as oregano, basil, and parsley. The presence of oxalates in spinach explains why the iron in spinach is not absorbed. In fact, it is reported that the iron from spinach that does get absorbed is probably from the minute particles of sand or dirt clinging to the plant rather than the iron contained in the plant.
• Polyphenols are major inhibitors of iron absorption. Polyphenols or phenolic compounds include chlorogenic acid found in cocoa, coffee and some herbs. Phenolic acid found in apples, peppermint and some herbal teas, and tannins found in black teas, coffee, cocoa, spices, walnuts, fruits such as apples, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries all have the ability to inhibit iron absorption. Coffee is high in tannin and chlorogenic acid; one cup of certain types of coffee can inhibit iron absorption by as much as 60%.
• Phytate is a compound contained in soy protein and fiber. Even low levels of phytate (about 5 percent of the amounts in cereal whole flours) have a strong inhibitory effect on iron bioavailability. Phytate is found in walnuts, almonds, sesame, dried beans, lentils and peas, and cereals and whole grains. Phytate compounds can reduce iron absorption by 50% to 65 %

this coupled with a heavy period... i mean, come on. it's not that hard to understand. Women's RDA is already twice the value of men.... and you need MORE iron if you have digestive disorders, have recently donated blood, have a Malabsorption syndrome, or are pregnant. I'd say these are fairly common.

i think i could not drink tea with meals....just drink it separate of meals.

has anyone been told to get colonoscopy to fix iron issues....seems odd to me...not having any particular GI symptoms....no dark stools.

Oh gosh, this is a zombie thread. But yeah, no idea where my iron vanishes to, but it tends to be low. Getting iron shots for the first time ever now. Picked up the second today so lets see if it makes any difference.

I've never had iron *shots* but I do get iron *infusions* regularly and had a *blood transfusion* once. I felt better the day after the transfusion. Infusions take a lot longer to kick in. Can be weeks, and might not be that obvious.

I'm curious how fast the shot kicks in for you - keep us posted!

I take a multi vitamin every day with my breakfast. At my last blood test/health check up my Doctor said my iron levels were a bit high.