How Much Iron Do You Need Per Day?Īccording to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), here’s how much iron different groups of people need per day: Symptoms of anemia may include fatigue, chest pain or shortness of breath, cold hands and feet, dizziness and headache, poor appetite, and unusual cravings for substances like ice, dirt, or starch.
Iron deficiency, a condition called anemia, makes it difficult for your red blood cells to deliver oxygen, according to the Mayo Clinic. “Most well known is that it's a key component of red blood cells and helps transport oxygen from your lungs to the rest of the body,” says Anzlovar. That’s a problem because the mineral plays a number of critical roles in the body, says Sarah Gold Anzlovar, RDN, the Boston-based owner of Sarah Gold Nutrition. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency globally - especially among children and pregnant women - and the only nutrient deficiency that is widely prevalent in developed countries, according to the World Health Organization. If you’ve been told you’re not getting enough iron, you’re not alone.