Are You a Tired Female? Consider Iron Deficiency

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Are You a Tired Female? Consider Iron Deficiency

 

Are You a Tired Female? New Test Shows Iron Deficiency Better www. mercola.

com

 

Fatigue is a common complaint among the general population, with reported

rates as high as 14 percent to 27 percent. Women were three times more

likely than men to suffer from fatigue, according to a study.

 

Fatigue is related to iron deficiency anaemia, however few studies have

looked for an association between iron deficiency and fatigue without

anaemia.

 

In a study to examine the effect of iron therapy in women with unexplained

fatigue and no anaemia, researchers found that iron supplementation could be

beneficial.

 

One trial involved 35 women of childbearing age (18 to 55 years) with

fatigue or poorly defined symptoms but without anaemia. It was found that

they benefited from iron rather than placebo.

 

Other studies have also shown that adolescent females have improvements in

fatigue, ability to concentrate and mood with iron supplementation.

 

Another study of Australian women found that fatigue decreased and quality

of life increased with iron supplementation or a diet high in iron.

 

Researchers concluded that identifying iron deficiency without anaemia as a

potential cause of fatigue in women of childbearing age is important. Using

iron therapy early may improve quality of life and also decrease the

unnecessary use of health care resources.

 

In the current study, researchers found a significant response only in the

patients with a baseline serum ferritin concentration 50 µg/l, which

suggests that iron deficiency could be present even when blood tests suggest

a " normal " concentration of serum ferritin.

 

The " correct " lower limit for serum ferritin concentration is controversial,

leading researchers to suggest that iron stores in the bone marrow may serve

as a better indicator of iron deficiency.

 

The lower reference limits for serum ferritin and haemoglobin concentrations

are often considered too low for women, however one study found that a serum

ferritin concentration of 50 µg/l was associated with a 50 percent chance of

iron deficiency occurring in the bone marrow.

 

The results led researchers of that study to suggest the adoption of the

same reference values for both men and women. The current study supports

this conclusion since it found that women could benefit from iron

supplementation even if their red blood cell counts are considered normal.

 

British Medical Journal May 24, 2003;326:1124 (Full Text Article)

 

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---- DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT: This is an important study as it shows that one

can improve fatigue with iron replacement in the face of normal blood count.

 

For the most part this will be restricted to menstruating women or children.

It is very rare for adult males to have a need for iron. In fact, excess

iron is a major cause of disease for men and is likely the major reason why

menstruating women have such a lower risk of heart disease than men.

 

So, if you are a woman and have fatigue, it would be best to obtain a serum

Ferritin level. If it is below 15 or even 20, you can consider iron

replacement. The best form of iron replacement would be red meat.

 

However, if you are a person who eats a steak and it sits like a brick in

your stomach, then take this as a clue that you are not likely to tolerate

red meat very well and you should likely take an iron replacement.

 

The safest form of iron that I know of is Feosol Carbonyl Iron, which is

available at Wal-Mart, Target or Walgreens. There has never been a case of

iron toxicity from accidental overdose of this type of iron. This is in

stark contrast to all other iron supplements, which regularly kill children

every year from accidental overdoses.

 

It is also important to recognize that one needs to find the source of the

iron loss in women. This is nearly always due to dysfunctional uterine

bleeding. In the office, I normally address this problem with my

comprehensive nutrition plan and exercise strategies. However, I also

frequently use sublingual (not transdermal creams) natural progesterone to

balance out the menstrual cycles.

 

Related Articles:

 

How to Diagnose Iron Overload

 

Most People Get Too Much Not Too Little Iron

 

Progesterone Cream Potential Dangers and Complications

 

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