Low iron can cause more than just fatigue. When our cells are deprived of oxygen, every action in the body is affected, from our brain to our toes. This is why low iron can cause wounds to heal slowly, muscle weakness, difficulty with concentration and memory, depression, headaches, hair loss, and weaken our immune system¹. Iron deficiency also results in poor cognitive development, behavioural concerns, and ADHD in children².

The best way to understand your iron status is by having a blood test to measure something called ferritin, which is our iron storage. The tricky part about this test is that in Canada, “normal” ferritin in adults is defined as falling within the range of 5-272 ug/L. Since this is a wide range, you can imagine that someone with a ferritin of 7 ug/L would feel very different from someone with a ferritin level of 200 ug/L.

In fact, research shows that iron supplementation can be beneficial for people experiencing fatigue, even in cases where ferritin is not low enough to cause anemia³. Dr. Hilary suggests aiming for a ferritin of 70-100 ug/L so that the body has enough iron to function in an optimal way.

Some groups of people are likely to have low iron, including:

• Vegans and vegetarians¹
• Women with heavy periods⁴
• During pregnancy and breastfeeding¹
• People lacking a nutrient-rich diet¹
• Children with ADHD²
• People experiencing fatigue, depression, or brain fog³
• People taking acid blocking medications for heartburn¹
• People with digestive conditions such as Celiac disease, colitis, Crohn’s disease, and SIBO⁵