Iron Intake Calculator

Iron Intake Calculator will guide you to find daily iron requirement to prevent anemia and you can also choose from the suggested list of iron rich foods.

Are you suffering from fatigue, tiredness, dizziness, lack of concentration, looking pale, getting soreness of mouth with cracks at the corners or craving for non food items like dirt, paper, ice? If you have some or all these symptoms, you most likely have ‘Iron Deficiency Anemia.’

Iron is an essential mineral needed for growth and development of human body. It helps in muscle and blood cell formations. Iron is essential for hemoglobin production in red blood cells (RBC) which helps in oxygen transport. Lower iron levels, leads to scanty and smaller red blood cells production.

This reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of RBCs which leads to the above symptoms. Iron’s function in myoglobin (muscle cells) is to store and release oxygen within muscle cells. Iron is also necessary to maintain healthy cells, skin, hair, and nails. Anemia can decrease immunity which increases risk of infection.

Forms of Iron Present in Human Body

About 70% of iron is present in hemoglobin and myoglobin, 6% in other essential proteins. 25% of iron in ferritin form is stored in hemoglobin.

Iron is present in human body in various forms. Hemoglobin is the most common and abundant form of iron present in humans. 15% iron is present in myoglobin in muscle cells.

Iron is stored in humans as ferritin and hemosiderin in liver, spleen, bone marrow and skeletal muscles (1^✔). Ferritin and hemosiderin act as iron reserves. The total amount of body iron stores is around 600 to1000 mg in the normal adult male and around 200 to 300 mg in the normal adult female. Ferritin is released when iron is low, so ferritin level test helps in diagnosis of iron deficiency. Hemosiderin a complex iron form, that is formed when red blood cells rupture and it is present in macrophages. This form of iron is also stored when the ferritin storage is exceeded and it will not be released when iron is low.

Dietary Iron Form

Iron is available in two dietary forms. They are Haem iron food and Non-haem iron food. Iron cannot be synthesized by the body, but can be recycled and reused by macrophages from dead RBCs (2^✔).

Haem Iron foods are found in animal-based food items, like red meat, poultry and fish. Haem iron is easily absorbed by the body. We absorb approximately 15-35% of the haem iron we eat. Non-Haem Iron foods are found in plant-based foods like cereals, vegetables and legumes. In contrast to haem iron, our body doesn’t absorb non-haem iron as easily. Only 2 - 20% of non-haem iron is absorbed.

Iron for pregnant women

Iron regulates a healthy immune system. Pregnant women need more iron for the growing fetus and placenta. Iron is most essential during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Pregnant women need 27 mg of iron per day. Iron-deficiency anemia during pregnancy is associated with preterm delivery, low birth weight, and infant mortality. To avoid these conditions, WHO recommend to take 30-60 mg iron along with 400 µg of folic acid (3^✔) . Absorption of iron from non-haem food is ineffective compared to haem foods. So vegetarians are adivised to take more of non haem iron foods to meet the iron requirement during pregnancy.

Iron Requirement during Lactation

During lactation, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iron for women aged 19–50 is 9 mg per day, the same as for non-pregnant, non-lactating women of the same age group. Lactating women of age less than 18 years need 10 mg iron per day. The baby is born with enough reserves since milk is not a good source of this nutrient.The additional iron in the mother's diet during lactation are important for mother's health.

Recommended Iron Intake

Life Stage (Age)	Recommended Amount
Birth to 6 months	0.27 mg
Infants 7–12 months	11 mg
Children 1–3 years	7 mg
Children 4–8 years	10 mg
Children 9–13 years	8 mg
Teen boys 14–18 years	11 mg
Teen girls 14–18 years	15 mg
Adult men 19–50 years	8 mg
Adult women 19–50 years	18 mg
Adults 51 years and older	8 mg
Pregnant teens	27 mg
Pregnant women	27 mg
Breastfeeding teens	10 mg
Breastfeeding women	9 mg

Source (6^✔).

Iron Deficiency

Iron deficiency leads to anemia. Iron deficiency is most commonly caused due to excess bleeding, iron deficient diet, body’s inability to absorb iron. Iron ingested is absorbed in the small intestine in very small amount(4^✔).

Who is at the Risk of Iron Deficiency?

• Menstruating women
• Pregnant and lactating women
• Gastrointestinal disease like celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease etc
• Peptic ulcer
• People Who follow diets like vegetarian and vegan
• Excess blood loss due to menstrual bleeding, accidents, bariatric surgery

Symptoms of Iron Deficiency Anemia

These symptoms are related to decreased oxygen carrying capacity of hemoglobin.

The symptoms are

• Unexplained tiredness
• Shortness of breath
• Rapid heartbeat
• Sore or smooth tongue
• Pale skin
• Cold hand and feet
• Frequent headache
• Hair loss, brittle nails
• Generalized weakness, lack of energy

Iron deficiency can be treated with balanced diet, iron supplements and by ingesting the correct level of iron daily.

Iron Supplements

Iron supplements are available in capsule, tablet, chewable and liquid form. The most common available size is 325mg (5^✔).

Iron is best absorbed in empty stomach but it may cause stomach cramps, ulcers. Iron must not be taken with milk, calcium tablets or antacid as they can interfere with each other absorption.

Constipation, nausea, vomiting are most common side effects of taking iron. Black stools are normal with iron supplements.

Iron Overload

Primary Iron Overload is due to hereditary condition. Hereditary hemochromatosis is the most common iron overload where body absorbs more iron which it cannot excrete. Iron overload can lead to various organ damage, infection and immune system impairment.

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Important facts on iron deficiency anemia:

• Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 9 mg/day for adult men and 18 mg/day for teenage and adult females.
• A deficiency of iron limits oxygen delivery to cells, resulting in fatigue, poor work performance, and decreased immunity.
• Excess amounts of iron can result in toxicity and even death.
• Iron deficiency anemia can affect the function of numerous organ systems. It is the final stage of iron deficiency.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately half of the 1.62 billion cases of anemia worldwide are due to iron deficiency.
• In United States approximately 16% of teenage girls aged 16-19 and 12% of women aged 20-49 are deficient in iron.
• Young children and pregnant women are at higher risk of iron deficiency because of rapid growth and higher iron needs.
• Adolescent girls and women of child bearing age are at risk due to menstruation.
• The most common tests for screening are Haemoglobin test and Haematocrit test.