Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency and can cause a variety of symptoms including fatigue, pale skin, restless leg syndrome, hair loss, and shortness of breath. Iron is important for producing hemoglobin and transporting oxygen throughout the body. It also contributes to overall health, beauty, and wellbeing by maintaining healthy cells, skin, hair, nails, and energy levels. There are two types of iron - heme iron, which is more efficiently absorbed from meat, and non-heme iron from plants. New heme iron supplements provide benefits over traditional iron supplements as they are better tolerated with less stomach side effects and are more efficiently absorbed.

1. Iron and beauty
Iron can make the difference between you
feeling on top of the world and downright
miserable. It has a direct effect on your
appearance in several ways.

2. What is your iron status?
Iron deficiency is the most common nutri6onal deficiency
and women are among those at greatest risk. Iron is cri6cal
for producing hemoglobin, a protein that helps red blood cells
deliver oxygen throughout your body.
So without it, everything suffers—and can lead to anemia.
Check out these symptoms of iron deficiency and, if you have
them, see your doc and request a ferri6n test, which
measures your body's iron stores.
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3. Exhaus6on
The most common symptom of iron deficiency, it's also
possibly the most difficult one to detect. "Women are so used
to having frene6c lives and feeling 6red," says Nancy Berliner,
MD, deputy editor of Blood, the journal of the American
Society of Hematology.
"They o^en just dismiss being 6red as part of life." However,
iron deficiency causes less oxygen to reach your 6ssues, so
your body is deprived of the energy it needs. If your "normal"
fa6gue is coupled with you feeling, weak, irritable, or unable
to focus, iron (or a lack thereof) might have something to do
with it.
hGp://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20798655,00.html#you-re-pale-0

4. Heavy periods
In women, the number-one cause of iron deficiency is too-
heavy periods, says Jacques Moritz, MD, director of
gynecology at Mount Sinai St. Luke's Roosevelt in New York
City. "They lose too much blood, replace about half of it, and
then lose too much again the following month," he says.
"It's like filling up a car with a small hole in the tank." Your
period should only fill two to three tablespoons each month.
Try the tampon test: If you have to change your tampon more
frequently than every two hours, talk to your gyno.
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5. Being pale
There's a reason the words "pale" and "sickly" are o^en used
interchangeably. Hemoglobin gives your blood its red color
and, thus, your skin its rosy hue.
That means that low levels of the protein can suck the color
straight from your skin, Dr. Moritz says.
If you have a light complexion, it's preGy easy to spot. No
maGer your skin tone, though, if the inside of your lips, your
gums, and the inside of your boGom eyelids are less red than
usual, low iron may be to blame.
hGp://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20798655,00.html#you-re-pale-0

6. Gegng short of breath easily
No maGer how deeply you breathe, if your oxygen levels are
low, you'll feel out of air, explains Dr. Berliner.
If you no6ce yourself gegng out of breath doing things that
you'd normally handle just fine—be it climbing a flight or
stairs or knocking out your usual workout—iron deficiency
could be to blame.
hGp://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20798655,00.html#you-re-pale-0

7. Heart pounding
An overworked heart can end up suffering from irregular
heartbeats, heart murmurs, enlargement, and even heart
failure.
For things to get that bad, you would probably have to suffer
from iron deficiency anemia for quite some 6me, suggests a
review of cardiomyopathy and iron deficiency in the Texas
Heart Ins6tute Journal.
However, if you know you have heart problems, it's important
to get your iron levels checked as iron deficiency can worsen
exis6ng heart problems.
hGp://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20798655,00.html#you-re-pale-0

8. Restless leg syndrome
Can't stop fidge6ng? About 15% of people with restless leg
syndrome have iron deficiency, according to John Hopkins
Medicine.
The lower the iron levels, the worse the symptoms.
hGp://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20798655,00.html#you-re-pale-0

9. Pica
Craving (and actually ea6ng) non-food substances can be a
sign of of iron deficiency.
Iron-deficient people may be tempted to chow down on
chalk, clay, dirt, and paper.
Luckily, most women opt for ice, says Dr. Berliner, who tells
her anemic pa6ents to come back to see her if they start
craving ice.
hGp://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20798655,00.html#you-re-pale-0

10. Anxiousness for no reason
As if your life wasn't stressful enough, iron deficiency can trick
you into feeling even more anxious.
A lack of oxygen revs up your body's sympathe6c nervous
system, which is kind of like your body's gas pedal, Dr. Berliner
says.
Plus, since iron deficiency can send your heart racing, it's easy
to feel like you're in fight-or-flight mode even when you have
every reason to feel relaxed.
hGp://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20798655,00.html#you-re-pale-0

11. Hair loss
Iron deficiency, especially when it progresses into full-blown
iron deficiency anemia, can cause hair loss.
"It sends your body into survival mode, so your body channels
oxygen to support vital func6ons as opposed to ones like
keeping your hair intact," explains Dr. Moritz.
Don't panic if there are a few hairs in your drain, though.
Most scalps lose about 100 hairs on a good day.
hGp://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20798655,00.html#you-re-pale-0

12. Underac6ve thyroid
Iron deficiency slows your body's thyroid func6on and blocks
its metabolism-boos6ng effects, according to the Na6onal
Academy of Hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism if o^en missed—six in 10 people with a
thyroid disease don't know they have it, according to the
American Thyroid Associa6on
—So if you no6ce low energy levels, weight gain, or even a
lower body temperature, talk to your doctor.
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13. Pregnancy
Folic acid deservedly gets a lot of pre-natal press, but babies-
to-be also need iron, and they can steal mom's stores.
What's more, many women lose a substan6al amount of
blood during delivery, which can lower iron counts, Dr. Moritz
says.
If you're pregnant with mul6ples, have pregnancies close
together, or regularly vomit because of morning sickness, you
may need to boost your iron intake.
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14. Celiac or IBD
Even if you get enough iron in your diet, celiac disease and
inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's and ulcera6ve coli6s
can lead to problems absorbing nutrients, iron included.
These condi6ons cause inflamma6on in and damage to the
diges6ve tract.
If you've been diagnosed with any of these GI diseases, talk to
you doctor about how you can increase your iron absorp6on.
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15. Iron is important
“The hair cells are the fastest growing cells in the body but
they are also the first ones to be affected you don’t eat right
or suffer with deficiencies because they are not required for
survival.
All the nutrients that you consume are first sent to the parts
of the body that really need them like the heart, liver, kidneys
and then what’s le^ benefits your hair.
This makes it important for you to consume the right
nutrients and in the right quan66es.”
hGp://food.ndtv.com/beauty/iron-and-protein-gegng-to-the-root-of-hair-loss-768613

16. Iron is important
"Un6l I became pregnant I had always suffered with spots and
blemishes.
During my pregnancy I was found to be anaemic and put on a
iron & folic acid supplement and my skin cleared up instantly.
When the course of tablets ran out my skin became
blemished and spoGy again.
I purchased some more tablets and my skin cleared within
two days- not a single spot! A^er years of was6ng money on
creams that never worked, I'm wondering what it is about
iron that does wonders for your skin."
hGp://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ask-the-expert/skin-and-hair/a3205/why-have-iron-supplements-improved-my-skin/

17. Iron is important
"Iron is also necessary to maintain healthy cells, skin, hair, and
nails," says Elaine Chogner, MD, clinical assistant professor
and director of General Hematology Clinics at the University
of Michigan Medical Center”
hGp://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/features/iron-supplements

18. Iron is important
According to Tamara Lior, a Florida-based dermatologist,
healthy nails reflect a healthy body.
hGp://www.healthyfood.co.nz/ar6cles/2008/june/8-steps-to-healthy-skin-hair-and-nails
As die66an Cindy Williams explains, beauty really does come
from the inside…Glossy hair, strong nails and glowing skin
may be signs of a great beauty regime, but the importance of
a great diet shouldn't be underes6mated.
www.healthyfood.co.nz/ar6cles/2008/june/8-steps-to-healthy-skin-hair-and-nails

19. Look (And Feel) More Energized
"..Iron contributes to your overall beauty and wellbeing, says
Elisa Zied, author of Younger Next Week:
Your Ul6mate Rx to Reverse the Clock, Boost Energy and Look
and Feel Younger in 7 Days.
"When you deplete your iron stores, you can develop anemia
and experience fa6gue and weakness," she says.
"That certainly won't help you look and feel vibrant or
energized."
hGp://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/vitamin-c-benefits

20. Two types of iron
All iron is not created equal. Your body absorbs heme iron—
which comes from meat, poultry, and fish—two to three
6mes more efficiently than non-heme iron from plants, says
nutri6onist Rania Batayneh, author of The One One One Diet.
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Today there are extremely well-tolerated heme iron
supplements in the Op6Fer® series available.
They will not ruin the therapy with stomach trouble and they
are more efficient than any other form of supplemental iron,

21. Superior heme iron supplements