Your grandmother may have called it “iron-poor tired blood” and the vitamin and mineral supplement Geritol was advertised on television as the cure. In the 1970’s the commercials featured a man bragging about his wife’s endless energy and he summed up his appreciation by saying “My wife… I think I’ll keep her.” Iron deficiency anemia is a common and easily treated condition related to a lack of iron in the body. 
    There are many different types of anemia, but most are a result of lower than normal numbers of red blood cells or less hemoglobin in the red blood cells.  Hemoglobin is an
iron-rich protein that carries the oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. It also helps carry carbon dioxide away to the lungs to be exhaled.
    When someone is anemic, they lack the ability to get enough oxygen circulated around the body which causes the most common symptom, feeling tired or run-down. Common causes of iron deficiency anemia are blood loss, decreased production of red blood cells and increased destruction of red blood cells. Blood loss can occur with surgery or illness such as a bleeding ulcer or intestinal bleeding. The bone marrow, a spongy tissue in the center of the bones, manufactures the red blood cells. Red blood cells only live about four months. When they die, the body recycles the iron from these red blood cells and uses it to make new ones.
      Where do we get iron in our food supply? The best sources are beef, turkey, chicken, fish and shellfish. Many foods have iron added to them in processing, such as breakfast cereals, oatmeal, breads and crackers. Good plant sources of iron are beans, peas, lentils, soybeans, spinach and raisins.  Iron from foods is best absorbed when a good source of vitamin C accompanies the meal.  In other words, drinking a small glass of vitamin C fortified juice or eating a bowl of strawberries with your meat or beans will help the body use the iron. Drinking too much tea can block the absorption of iron. Vegetarians who get only plant sources of iron may have difficulty meeting daily iron requirements.
      How much iron is needed daily for most healthy people? The recommended intakes vary with age and gender. For example, males from age 14 to 18 need 11 milligrams per day while teenage girls need 15 milligrams. The difference stems from the fact that teenage girls have the monthly blood loss that results from menstruation. Men age 19 to 50 need 8 milligrams and women in this age group need 18 milligrams daily. After the age of 50, both women and men should get 8 milligrams. Pregnant women need 27 milligrams daily in order to make additional blood required for a healthy infant. Three ounces of lean beef supplies about 3 milligrams and three ounces of turkey about 1.5 milligrams.  Some fortified breakfast cereals contain 18 milligrams per three-quarter cup serving. Check the label on multi-vitamin supplements for iron content. A simple blood test can diagnose anemia.