Iron deficiency - Health programme CheckUp

Without iron, nothing works in the human organism. And yet every second woman suffers from iron deficiency at least once in her life.

In the red blood pigment, haemoglobin, iron is responsible for binding and thus supplying the cells with oxygen. However, the importance of iron goes far beyond this. Iron plays a central and vital role in the respiratory cycle of the muscle cell and in various proteins involved in metabolism.

The most common causes of iron deficiency are haemorrhages, tumours or malnutrition. Especially the latter can be prevented by an iron-rich diet. The most important sources of iron are meat, bread (cereals), legumes and individual vegetables, especially potatoes, cauliflower and sauerkraut. The iron content of meat is about two to three times higher than that of plant foods.

Depending on tolerance and situation, the balance of iron reserves can be restored with the help of tablets or directly by intravenous infusion. Intake of iron through the diet is only effective if the iron deficiency is caused by an unbalanced diet. However, iron therapy is only indicated in the case of typical symptoms when the ferritin content falls below 50µg/l. If no iron deficiency is diagnosed, the intake of additional iron should be avoided because there is a risk of excessive concentration.