With almost a third of the global population suffering from anaemia, ensuring that people get enough iron is one of the biggest worldwide nutritional challenges.
The most effective and economical strategy is making sure people have access to iron-rich foods, as iron supplements can cause side effects and may not be effective longer term.
Tackling iron deficiency helps to increase energy, boost blood health, and optimise brain function.
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Around 65% of iron can be found in haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to all organs.
Iron can also be found bound to myoglobin for storing oxygen in muscle tissues so it can be used during muscle contraction and metabolic load.
Not having enough iron impairs haemoglobin production, reducing oxygen delivery and causing iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA).
While not enough iron causes fatigue and impaired cellular metabolism, too much can cause oxidative stress.
Iron has a vital role to play in both babies and young children, and older people. Iron deficiency in the first 1,000 days of life can impact long term on cognitive, attentional, and social-emotional functioning.
At the other end of the scale, dysregulated brain iron accumulation can contribute to the development of conditions including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
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What food to eat
There are two types of dietary iron – heme, which can be found in animal-based food, and non-heme, which is present in plant-based foods.
Cooking helps to retain the heme iron content, with beef preserving the highest levels, followed by pork, fish, and chicken.
Non-heme iron is less efficiently absorbed but iron-rich examples include lentils, tofu, spinach, kidney beans, soybeans, fortified cereals and breads, quinoa, and peas.
What you eat alongside iron-rich foods is also important, as certain food boosts absorption. These include citrus fruits, peppers and strawberries.
In summary, iron plays a vital role in maintaining energy metabolism, blood health, and brain function. Too little can cause fatigue and delays in cognitive function, while too much can cause organ damage and can speed up neurodegenerative disease.
Eating a combination of heme and non-heme rich food, alongside food that improves absorption, is the best way of preventing both iron deficiency and excess, improving health outcomes.
