Iron is the most common and widespread nutritional deficiency, even in industrialised countries, and affects approximately two billion people worldwide.
What is Iron Deficiency?
Your blood has red cells and these red cells carry haemoglobin. Within the haemoglobin is iron. Iron is the essential nutrient that your body needs to maintain its energy levels and that helps you with both physical and mental health.
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million children globally
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million pregnant women
Symptoms of iron deficiency
Most people suffer the symptoms of iron deficiency and don’t know they have it and how easy it is to fix it.
If you do not identify that you have iron deficiency, long term consequences may develop that affect your health and wellbeing.
Initially, iron deficiency can be so mild that it goes unnoticed. But as the body becomes more deficient in iron, the signs and symptoms that were initially tolerable, may intensify, and anaemia can develop
- Anaemia
- Extreme fatigue
- Tiredness
- Weakness
- Pale skin
- Chest pain, fast heartbeat or shortness of breath
- Headache, dizziness or lightheadedness
- Cold hands and feet
- Inflammation or soreness of your tongue
- Brittle nails
- Picca – unusual cravings for non-nutritive substances, such as ice
- Poor appetite, especially in infants and children with iron deficiency anemia
- Poor exercise performance
- Impaired neurocognitive development in children
- Impaired concentration