More Than One Third of Young Women in US Suffer From Iron Deficiency

More than a third of American women between the ages of 12 and 21 have an iron deficiency, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The research published online last week found nearly 39 percent of American girls and women aged 12-21 were affected by iron deficiency, and 6 percent were iron-deficient anemic.

The body uses the mineral iron to make the essential protein hemoglobins and myoglobin, which help the body get oxygen. Age, sex and diet are among the factors in how much iron is needed.

The National Institutes of Health noted teenage girls, women with heavy periods and pregnant women are “more likely than others to have trouble getting enough iron.”

While iron deficiency, or low iron in the body, often presents no symptoms, the more severe iron-deficiency anemia impacts red blood cells and hemoglobin levels and can cause tiredness, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and other symptoms.