How Iron Keeps Us Healthy
Iron is the fourth most abundant metal on Earth, and it significantly impacts our health in various ways.
This essential mineral is required by every cell in the body and serves as a vital building block for hundreds of proteins and enzymes.
Iron plays a crucial role in a range of biological processes, including oxygenating cells, producing energy, regulating genes, repairing cells, and synthesizing DNA.
Getting enough iron offers various benefits and helps prevent health issues like iron deficiency anemia, fatigue, and weakness. While you may focus on getting essential vitamins and minerals such as Vitamins A, C, D, and calcium for your health, there's one crucial nutrient that is often overlooked: iron (Fe). It's just as important for maintaining overall health.
12 Important Benefits of Getting Enough Iron
Iron Builds Healthy Red Blood Cells and Helps Oxygenate the Body** Red blood cells (erythrocytes) play a crucial role in transporting oxygen from our lungs to the tissues and cells throughout our body. However, they require iron to perform this function effectively. Red blood cells contain a special protein called hemoglobin, which contains iron. Oxygen binds directly to the iron molecules in hemoglobin, enabling it to be carried throughout the body, where it is used to convert food into energy inside the cells.About 70% of the body’s total iron is stored in red blood cells. When iron levels are low, the production of healthy red blood cells decreases, which can lead to iron deficiency anemia. This condition affects approximately 1 to 3 billion people worldwide.
Iron Provides Us with Energy Iron plays a crucial role in transporting oxygen to all the cells in our body. Our cells use this oxygen to generate energy from the food we consume through a process called cellular respiration. If you don’t get enough iron due to a poor diet, absorption issues, or blood loss, it's common to feel fatigued and weak.
Iron Supports Healthy Muscles Iron is essential for maintaining healthy muscles, and it is stored in a protein called myoglobin. Similar to hemoglobin, myoglobin is an iron-containing protein found exclusively in muscles. It helps keep muscles oxygenated, which is crucial for the healthy production of energy during muscle contractions. This allows you to enjoy activities like taking a walk on the beach or lifting weights at the gym. Without sufficient iron in your system, your muscles can weaken and lose their tone and elasticity.
Iron Supports Healthy Immune Function: Research indicates that both insufficient and excessive levels of iron can weaken the immune system. Our immune cells, such as T-cells and macrophages (which engulf microorganisms and clear away dead cells), need adequate amounts of iron to effectively eliminate infections, activate other immune cells, and remove toxins from the body.
Iron Supports a Healthy Thyroid: The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck. It plays a crucial role in regulating various metabolic functions in the body, including body temperature, breathing, weight management, energy levels, muscle strength, and heart rate.
Low iron levels can lead to hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid does not produce enough hormones to maintain balanced metabolic processes. Symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, dry skin, sensitivity to cold, muscle cramps and weakness, weight gain, and more. Interestingly, research indicates that hypothyroidism caused by factors other than iron deficiency can also lead to poor iron absorption in the body.
Iron Supports Healthy Skin, Hair, and Nails: Iron is essential for the body to produce collagen, a fibrous structural protein found in all connective tissues, including hair, tendons, cartilage, and bones. Collagen plays a crucial role in skin health, providing elasticity and helping to prevent sagging and wrinkles. Although the body's ability to produce collagen decreases after our late 20s, maintaining adequate iron levels can support collagen production as we age.
Iron Can Help Support a Healthy Mood: Iron is essential for the production of neurotransmitters, which are chemical messengers used by the nervous system. These include serotonin, known as the "happy hormone," and dopamine, referred to as the "feel-good hormone." Both of these hormones are released by our brain cells, or neurons. Maintaining healthy serotonin levels can lead to feelings of happiness, increased focus, and a sense of calm.
Iron Supports Healthy Bone Development: The cells within our bones continuously replace old bone with new bone in a process called remodeling, which helps maintain their strength and health. Iron plays a crucial role in this process. First, iron is necessary for the production of a specific type of collagen (Type 1 Collagen) that forms the foundation of bone structure. Additionally, iron is required by certain enzymes to convert Vitamin D3 into its active form. This conversion is not only vital for building healthy bones but also for supporting a strong immune system.
Iron Promotes Healthy Sleep: Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for allowing the body to rest and repair itself, while also reducing stress and supporting a healthy immune system. Recent studies have shown a positive link between iron deficiency anemia and insomnia, indicating that low iron levels can negatively impact sleep quality. Additionally, low iron has been associated with a sleep-disrupting condition called restless legs syndrome (RLS). Individuals with RLS often experience an overwhelming urge to move their legs for comfort, particularly at night, which can prevent them from getting the rest they need.
Iron is crucial for maintaining healthy brain function and cognitive abilities. It plays a vital role in delivering oxygen to the brain, which is necessary for generating the energy required for the growth and maintenance of nerve cells, supporting a healthy nervous system. In early brain development, iron is especially important for fostering language, motor skills, and learning abilities. However, in adults, low levels of iron can lead to brain fog, making it difficult to stay productive.
Iron is Essential for a Healthy Pregnancy: Pregnant women require increased amounts of iron to maintain healthy blood levels and to meet the nutritional demands of increased blood flow, which can sometimes double during pregnancy. More red blood cells result in a greater need for iron. In addition, iron is vital for the health of the developing baby. Maintaining healthy iron levels while pregnant may also reduce the risk of premature birth and low birth weight.
Iron deficiency can cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms, including:
Fatigue
Weakness
Pale skin
Shortness of breath
Dizziness
Brittle nails
Dry skin
Cold hands and feet
Unusual cravings for ice or dirt
Who is at Risk For Low Iron?
Women who have heavy menstrual periods may lose significant amounts of blood each month may benefit from extra dietary iron intake.
Pregnant women need more iron because they are making extra blood for their needs as well as the needs of their developing babies.
Vegetarians and vegans may not get enough iron because they do not eat foods with easily absorbed forms of iron.
If you eat mostly plant-based, consult with your health care provider to see if you should take an iron supplement like Ferritin+.
Blood donors who give blood often should monitor their iron levels and may need more iron. Some medical experts recommend taking 18-38 mg of iron a day 6 months after donation.
When to See a Doctor About Iron Deficiency
If you’re feeling more tired and weak than usual, or have one of the other symptoms mentioned above, consult with your doctor to rule out iron deficiency, it is important to speak with a doctor who will order blood tests to check your iron levels.
If you are low in iron, treatment for iron deficiency typically involves making sure you’re eating lots of iron-rich foods and taking an iron supplement to boost your body’s iron stores.
Flora Ferritin+ - A Natural Solution to Iron Deficiency
Many healthcare providers recommend taking an iron supplement if you’re low on this essential mineral. But form matters. Some iron capsules aren't very bioavailable, so you don’t absorb and utilize much of what you take. And most forms of iron are hard on the digestive tract, causing constipation and GI upset. Enter Ferritin+®, a plant-based ferritin-iron made with organic peas. Ferritin is a naturally protein-coated form of iron found in legumes that allows for timed release and efficient absorption, which helps to minimize digestive upset.
Ferritin+ can also
- Support energy & mental clarity
- Prevent iron deficiency anemia and boost energy
- Support the production of healthy red blood cells
- If you’re looking for a healthy plant-based way to boost your iron, Ferritin+ can be a gentle and effective way to get the iron your body needs
- The Easiest Way to Build Iron
- Easy on your stomach – non-constipating
- Easy for your body to absorb – unique absorption mechanism efficiently delivers iron right where your body needs it, when it needs it
- Easy to take – just 1 capsule per day
- Easy 20 mg of elemental iron per dose
Flora Ferritin+ Finally, an iron supplement that’s Easy to take everyday
How Ferritin+® Works:
Ferritin is a highly bioavailable plant-based iron supplement ideal for both vegans and meat eaters. While there are a variety of different iron supplements to choose from, they don’t all work equally well.
Some iron supplements are hard to absorb or can’t help you with building up your iron stores in the long-term. Others aren’t vegan or vegetarian friendly or can trigger digestive upset with side effects like abdominal cramping, constipation, and nausea. Because this form of iron moves easily through the digestive tract, it doesn’t lead to constipation or the other common side effects of iron supplements.
Each ferritin molecule is packed with iron atoms and uses a unique pathway of absorption, unlike any other form of iron. Ferritin iron consists of a protein ‘cage’ that protects the iron through the digestive tract and protects your digestive tract from the iron as well. It’s what allows for a slow release and absorption over time. eliminating the need to add absorption co-factors such as vitamin C, etc.
Different from plant-based iron sources, Ferritin+ is easily absorbed and vegan-friendly. And it won’t give you any of the uncomfortable side effects of the popular salt-based iron supplements. A slow-release formula, Ferritin+ is made with iron extracted from organic peas in the form of a protein called ferritin. Ferritin+ is easily absorbed and vegan-friendly. And it won’t give you any of the uncomfortable side effects of the popular salt-based iron supplements. Supports healthy iron levels Just one capsule per day
