65 to 80 percent of women do not have sufficient iron reserves, a nutritional researcher at Wageningen University discovered. If there are long-term deficiencies, this can lead to anemia. It is therefore important to recognize a deficiency in time.
The causes lie in our changed lifestyle and eating patterns.
Symptoms of iron deficiency
An estimated quarter of all women suffer from anemia due to iron deficiency, nutritional researcher Hans Verhoef discovered in 2023. It is remarkable that there is so little attention for this (yet). If there were more attention, women could also be warned about the symptoms to prevent anemia. This is because after a while you can get used to the iron deficiency and therefore not (or no longer) notice the symptoms properly. Symptoms of iron deficiency include dizziness, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
Iron is needed to transport oxygen through the blood and deliver it to the organs. It also stores oxygen in muscles. Vitamin C also plays a role in this: it promotes iron absorption. In the case of a vitamin C deficiency, an iron deficiency can therefore ultimately also arise.
Causes of iron deficiency in women
The fact that so many women suffer from an iron deficiency today is due to changed dietary patterns: more and more people are eating vegetarian or vegan, and we mainly get iron from meat. 'But men can also be vegetarian?', I hear you thinking. 'Why don't they have deficiencies then?'. That has to do with the female cycle. Women lose an average of 40 to 200 ml of blood per month during menstruation, which is equivalent to a blood donation. If this iron loss is not supplemented, deficiencies quickly arise. Also during menopause, such major hormonal changes occur that an iron deficiency develops more quickly.
Eat more meat?
The fact that there is so much iron deficiency is worrying. In addition to causing complaints and health problems for the woman herself, in the case of pregnancy it is also dangerous for the baby's development. It is important that there is more attention for it, and also for the solution: supplementing the diet with iron supplements and vitamin C. The fact that less meat is eaten is a good development for the environment and animal welfare. But now it is important to also think about our own well-being.
Sources:
- Josselin Gordijn - Due to the current lifestyle, more and more women have anemia: 'Eating more meat is not a solution, iron pills are, Parool
- Moisidis-Tesch, C. M., & Shulman, L. P. (2022). Iron deficiency in women’s health: new insights into diagnosis and treatment. Advances in Therapy, 39(6), 2438-2451.
