Iron and Its Benefits

We have all grown seeing Popeye eating spinach from a green box to pump iron in his body and get strong. We all know spinach is full of iron and iron is a part of blood cells in the body. Iron is an important mineral to keep our body working. Deficiency of iron is a very common problem and often goes unnoticed.

It helps to form hemoglobin which carries oxygen from the lungs to the muscles and other organs of the body. Deficiency of iron can cause inadequate supply of oxygen leading to weakness and fatigue. Lack of it can even affect the growth of child. Child is not able to concentrate in the class due to the low level of energy, feeling of tiredness all the time, making him less attentive and affecting his grades.

Women are affected the most as they loose lot of iron due to menstruation making them anemic. Low level of iron during pregnancy can cause risk of miscarriage, premature baby or baby with low weight. Such infants are more prone to health problems, which can cause life long damage. Iron is very necessary for good immune system and helps in fighting many diseases.

Iron is good for skin as it helps in making collagen and nourishes the skin by removing carbon dioxide and provides oxygen. Main source of iron are dark green leafy vegetables, beans, whole grains, red meat, fish and poultry. Some pastas and breads are also enriched with iron. To absorb iron you need to take a lot of vitamin-C, but be careful of not eating too much of iron. Excess of it can cause damage to organs like heart, liver, etc. Cardiac failure is major complication of iron over load. Don’t take iron unnecessarily. Remember, excess of anything is as bad as the deficiency of it.