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15 Signs and Symptoms Your Body Is Lacking In Iron

By Andrew Alpin, 29 May 2018

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Iron deficiency, can commence from an irritating problem eventually leading to the harmful condition called anemia. Daily, iron in our bodies is lost in different ways, which is why it is important to avoid and cure this problem. Iron deficiency occurs when the body lacks mineral iron, the main ingredient for the production of hemoglobin in the body. Hemoglobin is a protein that helps red blood cells transport oxygen throughout our body. When the body lacks hemoglobin, our muscles, tissues, etc. tend to not function properly, which leads to anemia. Here are the main signs and symptoms that iron is lacking in your body

1 Unusual and unexplained fatigue:

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The most common tendency of iron deficiency is causing fatigue. This occurs when our body lacks the iron required to produce hemoglobin the protein present in the red blood cells whose function is to transport oxygen from the from our lungs to every organs, cell and tissue of our body. When our system contains less hemoglobin, this causes the blood to transport less oxygen to tissues and muscles resulting in fatigue and tiredness. In our daily life, being tired is considered normal, but it is harder to differentiate between normal tiredness and iron deficiency.

Unexplained fatigue

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People with iron deficiency will also experience different types of fatigue

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Unlike normal tiredness, iron deficiency can cause the following symptoms

• Feeling weak

• Decrease in energy levels

• Decreasing concentration

• Being less functional 

People with iron deficiency

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2Pale skin or white spots

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The Hemoglobin present in the red blood cells provides that healthy, rosy color of skin. In Iron deficiency, the production of hemoglobin in our body decreases, thus the red blood cells cannot provide oxygen to the remaining parts of the body and this leads to pale skin or anemic spots on the skin notably cheeks. Irrespective of your skin color, if the color of the gums, nails, lips and inner flesh of the lower eye lids are comparatively less red than usual, it is caused by low iron. 

Pale skin or white spots

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3Shortness of breath or pain in chest

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During any physical activity, having chest pain or shortness of breath is another sign of iron deficiency. The limited amount of hemoglobin in our red blood cells means that a limited amount of oxygen is provided to the rest of our body which has to recompense. It then has to produce more oxygen for the organs to be more productive. This leads to running short of breath. 

Shortness of breath or pain in chest

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4Migraines and headaches

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When our body lacks iron, our brain starts to experience migraines or we get headaches. When the required amount of oxygen is not being provided to the brain, it makes the blood vessels swell, the pressure formed causes headaches or migraines. 

Migraines and headaches

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5Dizziness

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People can experience dizziness or light headedness due to the absence of iron. The body becomes desperate for oxygen when there is a decrease of hemoglobin or when its level remains low. Dizziness happens when the brain is deprived of oxygen or even low blood pressure due to inadequate oxygenation between the blood vessels and the heart. 

Dizziness

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