Are You Getting Enough Iron? Heres Why It Matters for Your Health – National [Video]

Maybe you’ve been feeling more tired than usual lately. And have you always lost that much hair in the shower? Also, why does it feel like you can’t concentrate properly at work?

Could you be low on iron? After all, iron deficiency is more common than you might think. In a recently published article, among females 12-21 years, the prevalence of iron deficiency was 38.6%, and the concern is that many of these people can go on to develop iron deficiency anemia, a more severe form of iron deficiency.  Yet, when it comes to bettering your health, iron may not always be top of mind. Here’s why your iron levels matter and what you should know about them.

The role of iron

What exactly does iron do in our bodies? “Most of our iron is in a very important molecule called hemoglobin–that’s the molecule that carries oxygen around the body,” says Dr. Karima Khamisa, …