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The Importance of Iron
The Importance of Iron
You may not hear as much about iron as other nutrients, like vitamin D or calcium. But this vital mineral is critical for many physiological functions, including growth and development, oxygen transportation and energy production. Iron plays a role in the synthesis of neurotransmitters and hormones, and it’s also involved in elements of immune system function.
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And iron is especially essential for building healthy blood, responsible for circulating throughout the body to nourish cells with oxygen and nutrients. Blood is made up of several components. One of the most important: hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that’s responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs to the body’s organs and tissues and transporting carbon dioxide from organs and tissues back to the lungs. The body uses iron to make hemoglobin as well as myoglobin, another protein that carries oxygen to the muscles. All of the body’s cells contain some iron, but the majority of the body’s iron—about twothirds—is in the hemoglobin.
Iron also plays an essential role in the process by which cells produce energy. Cells need iron to convert energy from the food you eat into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body’s primary energy source. Low levels of iron hamper ATP production, leading to fatigue and lack of energy.
Because you can’t synthesize iron, it has to be consumed through food or supplements. And while the body can recycle and reutilize iron, you lose some of this important mineral daily, and those lost stores must be replaced. If you don’t get enough iron in your diet, the body draws on iron stored in the muscles, liver, spleen and bone marrow to make up the difference— so, in the short term, you may not notice any obvious symptoms. But when iron stores in the body get too low, iron-deficiency anemia sets in. Red blood cells are diminished and contain less
hemoglobin. Less hemoglobin means less oxygen transported from the lungs throughout the body—and less vigor and vitality.
Some symptoms of irondeficiency anemia include fatigue, weakness, low energy, pale skin, cold hand and feet, dizziness or lightheadedness, and diminished concentration and memory. And people with iron-deficiency anemia are more susceptible to infections, so it’s crucial, especially now, that you get enough from food or supplements—even more important if you’re in a higher-risk category for iron deficiency.
