Iron Benefits for the Body and How to Maintain Healthy Levels

What are the Benefits of Iron

Aids brain health

The brain requires enough oxygen-rich blood to function optimally. One of the iron benefits for the body is oxygen transportation and neurotransmitter synthesis. This means that when you are able to regulate and maintain the necessary balance of iron in the body, it will have a positive effect on the brain's physiological functions.

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Boosts immunity

One of the essential nutrients that help ensure you are able to be healthy and active daily is iron. Since it helps with oxygen transportation, less iron means less oxygen in your body system. Iron deficiency will further affect other body functions, including the immune system.

According to research published in the National Library of Medicine, iron deficiency and excess can affect the functions of your immune system.

Healthier hair

Iron helps the body produce hemoglobin, a protein responsible for transporting oxygen to your body cells. Part of the body cells are the ones responsible for hair growth. One of the benefits of iron on the hair is the improved growth, as long as you are able to maintain the level of iron in the body.

In addition, iron supplements for females ensure they don't have to deal with hair loss. A study conducted on 210 patients to investigate the relationship between iron and hair loss suggested that iron may play some role in the premenopausal female pattern of hair loss.

Iron is vital for healthy skin, hair, and nails. Deficiency can lead to pale skin, brittle nails, and thinning hair. The video here explains how to boost iron levels with diet and supplements.

Dr. Eric Berg DC, an expert on his YouTube channel, explains about how iiron affects your overall health:”

Reduced fatigue

One of the iron benefits for males is the supply of energy, especially in active males. Iron ensures a supply of oxygen around the body, and the body uses the oxygen for energy to help ensure you don’t feel fatigued. A study concluded that iron supplementation helps improve mood, stress, and fatigue in nonanemic endurance athletes.

Iron Nutritional Facts

Although iron is mostly found in the hemoglobin, it is also found in every cell in the body.

Women require more iron intake than men. Women between 19 and 50 need a daily dose of 18mg, while men in the same age range, 19 and older, only require 8mg per day.

Women eating plant-based diets tend to consume more iron, but have higher rates of iron deficiency anemia, as non-heme iron, mostly found in plants, is not as well absorbed as heme-iron, found in meat products.

Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common nutrient deficiency in the world.

Iron is the most common nutrient deficiency and can have a big impact. You can be iron-deficient without having anemia, but many mental health care providers aren’t aware that iron deficiency by itself has been linked to worse symptoms or that supplementation has been linked to improved symptoms. But there is evidence there.

says Stephanie Weinberg Levin, M.D., a psychiatrist at Michigan Medicine and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

Recommended Daily Iron Dosage

While iron is important to the body, you need to ensure it is not deficient and also not in excess. How much iron per day depends on your age and sex. The National Institutes of Health recommends daily allowances for iron.

List of Iron-Rich Food

There are different forms of iron: heme and non-heme. Heme iron is present in fish, poultry, and meat. Examples of heme iron-rich foods are:

• Beef
• Lamb
• Ham
• Turkey
• Chicken
• Oyster
• Clam
• Canned light tuna
• Pork, and many more.

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On the other hand, non-heme iron is present in plant-based foods like fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Examples of non-heme foods are:

• Strawberries
• Watermelon
• Raisins
• Spinach
• Sweet potatoes
• Dark chocolate
• Enriched rice or bread
• Kale, and many more.