{"id":12319,"date":"2022-04-06T08:08:24","date_gmt":"2022-04-06T08:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/?p=12319"},"modified":"2023-01-12T01:25:45","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T01:25:45","slug":"reasons-why-iron-supplements-should-be-personalized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/reasons-why-iron-supplements-should-be-personalized\/","title":{"rendered":"Do I need an iron supplement?"},"content":{"rendered":"\u201cTired? Maybe you need more iron.\u201d\u00a0If you\u2019ve heard those words before, you\u2019re not alone. Iron supplements have been touted as a fatigue fighter\u00a0since the 1940s, when the US government first promoted them to the American public as key to good health. Today, iron still features prominently in the USDA\u2019s My Plate school program, and it comes up all the time in discussions of diet, energy and women\u2019s health.\u00a0But as with any supplement, iron isn\u2019t right for everyone. Age, gender, genetics, diet and a long list of other factors can affect your body\u2019s need for iron supplementation\u2014and getting it wrong can have consequences for your health.\u00a0\u00a0So how do you know if an iron tablet should be part of your daily routine? By asking the experts. Here, our nutrition professionals have put their heads together to give you the low-down on this celebrity supplement: Whether you\u2019re likely to need it, how to know for sure and\u2014if you do add iron to your regimen\u2014how to get the most from it.\u00a0But first: What does iron do, exactly?\u00a0Your body uses iron to make hemoglobin, the special protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to the other parts of the body, where it keeps your cells\u2019 power generators humming.\u00a0When you\u2019re low on iron, your body won\u2019t make enough hemoglobin to carry out that crucial work, which may lead to fatigue, headaches, poor concentration, dizziness and feelings of weakness\u2014a condition known as iron deficiency anemia (IDA). So if you\u2019re feeling sluggish, does that mean you should you be gobbling down iron supplements? Maybe, maybe not.\u00a0The reality is most of us get plenty of iron from our diets, meaning low iron might not be behind your lack of energy. What\u2019s more, if you are getting enough iron from your food, an iron supplement might actually push you over the\u00a0daily recommended intake. That could lead to a whole other set of health effects, including digestive issues and reduced absorption of nutrients like zinc.\u00a0So how do you know if you\u2019re low on iron? By looking at a number of factors.\u00a0How do you know if you\u2019re at risk of low iron?\u00a0Different people need different amounts of iron to stay healthy. Men aged 19+ need about 8mg of iron per day, according to the NIH, while women aged 19-50 need about 18mg (this drops to 8mg daily after menopause).\u00a0While most of us get these amounts\u2014or more\u2014from our food, a significant minority of people, primarily women, fall short for a number of reasons. You may be iron deficient if:\u00a0You\u2019re pregnant: It takes a lot to build a baby\u2014including hemoglobin. To ensure your body has the material it needs to support your baby\u2019s development and keep it well supplied with oxygen, an iron supplements is often recommended throughout pregnancy;\u00a0You get heavy periods: This can deplete your body\u2019s iron stores on a regular basis;\u00a0You\u2019ve lost blood from a health condition like ulcers or cancer\u2014or because you donate blood frequently. Your body may need some extra iron to help it restock;\u00a0You have a disorder that impacts iron: There are a number of chronic health issues that can impact your body\u2019s ability to absorb or retain iron (ask your doctor about these);\u00a0You\u2019re taking certain drugs: Some medications interfere with iron absorption, preventing your body from getting what it needs from your food;\u00a0You have a low-iron diet: Many foods\u2014including red meat, pork, poultry, seafood, peas, beans, lentils, whole wheat bread, brown rice, eggs, tofu, spinach, raisins and apricots\u2014are rich in iron, but not everyone gets enough of these to reach their recommended daily intake. This is often the case with vegans and vegetarians.\u00a0How do you know for sure?\u00a0While these factors will put you at risk of low iron\u2014and symptoms like fatigue and weakness may offer another clue\u2014the only way to know for sure is to talk to your doctor. They may recommend a blood test to determine your iron levels with precision, and recommend you supplement as needed.\u00a0How do you get the most from your iron supplement?\u00a0If it turns out you do need an iron supplement, there are things you can do to make sure you\u2019re getting as much nutrition from it as possible:\u00a0Don\u2019t take it with calcium: Calcium supplements and calcium-rich foods like milk can get in the way of iron absorption, so avoid taking them together;Don\u2019t wash it down with coffee: The polyphenols in coffee and tea can similarly interfere with iron absorption, so try to go easy on them while supplementing\u2014and definitely don\u2019t wash down your capsule with a cup of Joe;Get a helping hand from OJ: Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, so taking your supplement with a glass of orange juice may actually augment its effects;Consider an Iron\/vitamin C combo: If you don\u2019t want to drink OJ every day, an iron supplement that includes vitamin C can also be a great solution.If iron is right for you, it may just be one part of a larger supplement plan tailored to your diet and health goals. To learn more about the nutrients that would fit your needs, try taking our nutrition assessment. It takes about five minutes, and will design a daily plan to fit your lifestyle.About Gabby\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Gabby is a nutritionist with a master\u2019s degree in strategic communications. She loves using her nutrition-fluency with storytelling to encourage positive change. Before Persona, she worked at a mental health clinic helping clients manage stress, anxiety and other mental health issues through diet.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Gabby is just one of Persona\u2019s team of qualified nutritionists. Do you have questions about nutrition? Reach out. Our experts would love to help.\u00a0 This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. Do not use the information from this article for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this article.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cTired? Maybe you need more iron.\u201d\u00a0 If you\u2019ve heard those words before, you\u2019re not alone. Iron supplements have been touted as a fatigue fighter\u00a0since the 1940s, when the US government first promoted them to the American","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":15037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1829,266,683,1893,1911],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prenatal","category-vitamins-supplements","category-womens-health","category-wellness-journey","category-wellness-journey-womens-health"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12319"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15035,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12319\/revisions\/15035"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}