Do you crave ice? Do you have restless leg syndrome? Or maybe you have chronic fatigue and look pale. Do you get short of breath? Do you bruise easily? These are all signs of iron deficiency. Did you know a deficiency in iron can inhibit your ability to lose weight? Let’s dig into it. 

Iron deficiency is extremely common, and it is a type of anemia. According to webmd, It affects about 20% of women, 50% of pregnant women, and 3% of men. Part of the reason that women are more affected is that women tend to eat less red meat. Another reason is blood loss during menstruation, and increased need for iron (because you are supporting another life) during pregnancy. 

With the movement towards plant-based eating, the problem will certainly rise. Iron comes in two forms; heme iron (from red meats) and non-heme iron. Although you can get some iron from plants, it comes in non-heme iron form, which is less well absorbed by the body. Additionally, plants contain polyphenols, which inhibit absorption of iron. Vitamin C can enhance absorption of iron (Ems, Lucia & Huecker, 2020). 

Why is iron important? Many proteins and enzymes in the body require iron to function. A vital protein involved in energy pathways of the body (electron transfer) is called cytochrome. With iron deficiency, cytochrome is unable to do its job and energy production plummets (Blayney et al., 1976). This is the reason for fatigue in iron deficiency. If you’re fatigued, it’s difficult to get your exercise in and will limit weight loss. 

Another interesting point on iron is its relationship with inflammation. Iron is stored in the body by a molecule called ferritin. Bacterial replication requires iron, so when you have an infection, the body wisely locks the ferritin so that the bacteria cannot use it to replicate. Although this is a protective process and necessary, now the body cannot use iron. A similar process occurs with chronic inflammation (Ueda and Takasawa, 2018). So chronic inflammatory processes like diabetes, obesity, and auto-immune disease can lead to chronic iron deficiency. This is called functional iron deficiency.

So if you eat red meat, the darker the better. The pigment of the meat is from myoglobin, which contains heme iron, not from the color of blood. If you don’t eat red meat or are on a plant-based diet, it will be important to consult with a physician to ensure proper iron levels. If you have a chronic illness causing inflammation, the root cause of the inflammation will need to be treated first. 

References: 

Blayney, L., Bailey-Wood, R., Jacobs, A., Henderson, A., & Muir, J. (1976). The effects of iron deficiency on the respiratory function and cytochrome content of rat heart mitochondria. Circulation Research, 39(5), 744-748. doi:10.1161/01.res.39.5.744

MR;, E. (n.d.). Biochemistry, Iron Absorption. Retrieved January 06, 2021, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28846259/

Ueda, N., & Takasawa, K. (2018). Impact of Inflammation on Ferritin, Hepcidin and the Management of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease. Nutrients, 10(9), 1173. doi:10.3390/nu10091173