Malnutrition—Iron

Iron is a mineral that our bodies need for many functions. For example, iron is part of hemoglobin, a protein which carries oxygen from our lungs throughout our bodies. It helps our muscles store and use oxygen. Iron is also part of many other proteins and enzymes.

Your body needs the right amount of iron. If you have too little iron, you may develop iron deficiency anemia. Causes of low iron levels include blood loss, poor diet, or an inability to absorb enough iron from foods. People at higher risk of having too little iron are young children and women who are pregnant or have periods.

Too much iron can damage your body. Taking too many iron supplements can cause iron poisoning. Some people have an inherited disease called hemochromatosis. It causes too much iron to build up in the body.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Anemia caused by low iron — infants and toddlers (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Ferritin blood test (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Iron deficiency anemia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Iron in diet (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Serum iron test (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Taking iron supplements (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Total iron binding capacity (Medical Encyclopedia)

Food provides the energy and nutrients you need to be healthy. If you don’t get enough nutrients — including proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals – you may suffer from malnutrition.

Causes of malnutrition include:

• Lack of specific nutrients in your diet. Even the lack of one vitamin can lead to malnutrition.
• An unbalanced diet
• Certain medical problems, such as malabsorption syndromes and cancers

Symptoms may include fatigue, dizziness, and weight loss. Or, you may have no symptoms. To diagnose the cause of the problem, your doctor may do blood tests and a nutritional assessment. Treatment may include replacing the missing nutrients and treating the underlying cause.

• Beriberi (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Kwashiorkor (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Malnutrition (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pellagra (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pica (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Scurvy (Medical Encyclopedia)