Iron Deficiency
Recommended Daily Allowance of Iron
The recommended daily allowance was established by the food and nutrition board, and is used for the general term of reference for a healthy diet. These guidelines include the average daily intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%-98%) healthy individuals. The adequate intake established when evidence is insufficient to develop and recommended daily allowance, but is still set to allow for a person to get nutritional adequacy.
The recommended daily allowance of Iron, according to the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) at the Institute of Medicine of National Academies is the following: age seven months to twelve months male 11 mg per day, age seven months to twelve months female 11 mg per day, age one year to three years male 7 mg per day, age one year to three years female 7 mg per day, age four years to eight years male 10 mg per day, age four years to eight years female 10 mg per day, age nine years to thirteen years male 8 mg per day, age nine years to thirteen years female 8 mg per day, age fourteen years to eighteen years male 11 mg per day, age fourteen years to eighteen years female 15 mg per day, age fourteen years to eighteen years female pregnant 27 mg per day, age fourteen years to eighteen years female lactating 10 mg per day, age nineteen years to fifty years male 8 mg per day, age nineteen years to fifty years female 18 mg per day, age nineteen years to fifty years female pregnant 27 mg per day, age nineteen years to fifty years female lactating 9 mg per day, age fifty-one years or older male 8 mg per day, and age fifty-one years or older female 8 mg per day.
The iron requirement has not been established for infants of six months of age and younger. The reason being is that infants are born with a supply of iron which normally can last for the first four to six months of their lives. The lack of information prevents a recommended daily allowance to be determined; however, there has been an adequate intake established for infants of zero to six months of age. The adequate intake for both male and female babies of between zero and six months of age is 0.27 mg per day.
Breast milk is an excellent source of iron, and the reason why lactating women need to have a higher amount of iron in their systems. Experts recommend that babies be breast feed the first six months of their lives, because they can absorb more than 50% of the iron which is in breast milk. This is well above the 12% a baby can absorb from formula.
Iron Deficiency
Iron deficiency is one of the greatest medical problems in the world. Iron is the number one nutritional disorder in the world according to the World Health Organization. 80% of the world’s populations are estimated to be suffering from iron deficiency. 30% of the world population suffering from iron deficiency might also be suffering from iron deficiency anemia.
The gradual development of iron deficiency is one of the factors which make it difficult to combat. The body will try to compensate for the lack of iron in the diet by using the stored up amounts of iron in the body. Once the body has depleted its stores the body becomes susceptible to the iron deficiency anemia which occurs in the advanced stages of iron depletion.
Iron deficiency anemia is associated with inadequate absorption of iron, excessive blood loss, and low dietary intake of iron. The people who are at the greatest risk of iron deficiency anemia include: women of childbearing age, pregnant women, preterm infants, low birth weight, older infants, older toddlers, and teenage girls. Adult men and post menopausal women are both at a very low risk of developing any negative effects of low amounts of iron.
Feeling tired, feeling weak, decreased performance at work, decreased performance at school, slow cognitive development during childhood, slow social development during childhood, difficulty maintaining body temperature, a lower immune system functionality, a much higher susceptibility to infection, and glossitis (an inflamed tongue) are all common signs of a person suffering from iron deficiency anemia.
Anenmia can also be cause by people suffering from different eating problems, suffering from chronic infections, inflammatory, malignant disorders, arthritis, and cancer. While these different disorders can cause iron deficiency anemia, simply taking iron supplementation might not be enough to counteract the effects of the anemia.
Those at a High Risk of Iron Deficiency
The three groups of people who need to monitor their iron levels are people with a greater need of iron intake in their diet, those who tend to lose more iron than the average person, and people who do not absorb iron at a normal rate.
These individuals include the following groups: pregnant women, preterm and low birth weight infants, older infants and toddlers, teenage girls, women of childbearing age especially those with heavy menstrual losses, people with renal failure especially those undergoing routine dialysis, and people with gastrointestinal disorders who do not absorb iron normally.
How to get Enough Iron in a Diet
The best way to get iron in a diet is to get it through a good diet. Like many other vitamins and minerals a healthy low fat diet which is filled with fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, lean meats, and healthy whole grains should help a person to obtain a majority of the vitamins and minerals which they need. The problem is many people simply don’t have time to eat a full diet, and the circumstances of a person’s life can also affect the amount of iron which their body needs and will absorb.
A great way to ensure that the body has enough iron is to take a good daily multivitamin. Research has found that with iron supplementation the body will absorb more iron when it receives supplementation throughout the day. If a person takes a good healthy multivitamin to start their day and adds a good healthy diet of iron rich foods, then the body will be able to process more of the iron throughout the body.
One thing a person should be concerned about is the research of iron supplementation which shows that taking iron supplements will actually decrease the amount of iron the body absorbs. While this research is for a traditional high iron supplements, and not for the balanced amounts of iron which a person will normally get in a good multivitamin.
Women need to be more concerned with their body’s iron levels, especially when they are pregnant or nursing. This means that women should try to find additional supplements to boast their iron throughout the day. A great way for pregnant women to add iron is by taking Prenatal Chocolates. These small chocolate pieces are designed to help give pregnant women a delicious boast of vitamins and minerals throughout the day when their bodies really need it.
