Can low iron cause digestive problems?

Iron is a very essential nutrient for the body. Without enough iron, the body cannot produce enough of a substance in the blood called erythrocytes or red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen (hemoglobin). Low iron in the human body is one of the major causes of anemia. Having low levels of iron in the blood is termed iron deficiency anemia. 

Having anemia can predispose you to a number of conditions including heart failure. Fatigue is the most common symptom of anemia. Pregnant women with iron deficiency can put their babies at risk of developmental delays. 

Low iron has been linked to a couple of pathological gastrointestinal conditions, liver disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease. Since there has been a link between low iron levels and some gastrointestinal conditions, it is uncommon for you to ask yourself the question “Can low iron cause digestive problems?”

In this article, you will get to know what causes low iron or iron deficiency, if it can cause digestive problems and how it can be treated.

What is low iron?

Low iron in the body is a condition that is caused by eating a diet that does not meet the daily iron nutritional needs or losing more iron from the body than you take in.

The most common cause of low iron levels in the body is from inadequate iron intake. Chronic blood loss, pregnancy and intense exercises can lead to low iron in the body.

There are also some people who become iron deficient because they are unable to absorb iron.

Is low iron common?

Yes, low iron is very common and affects all sorts of people like babies, toddlers, adults, lactating women, menstruating women, teenagers, etc. 

What causes low iron in the first place?

There are so many causes of iron deficiency. Common causes of iron deficiency include

Blood loss

Blood loss or chronic blood loss can easily result in you getting low amounts of iron in your body.  Common causes include 

• heavy menstrual periods 
• regular blood donation 
• regular nosebleeds 
• other chronic conditions that involve bleeding (such as peptic ulcers, polyps or cancers in the large intestine)  
• Certain medications, particularly aspirin. 

Inadequate iron in diet

Also known as inadequate dietary intake, there are 2 types of dietary iron namely haem iron and non-haem iron. 

Non-haem iron is another type of inadequate dietary intake that is mostly present in plant-based goods. The body does not easily absorb non-haem iron as compared to haem iron. 

Low dietary intake can be caused by many reasons such as a poorly balanced vegetarian diet, limited access to a wide variety of fresh food, chronic fad dieting amongst others.

Exercise 

People who are fond of or mostly engage in physical activities such as sports can also easily suffer from low iron. Such people like athletes are very prone to iron deficiency anaemia because regular exercise increases the body’s need for iron in several ways. 

For example, hard training promotes red blood cell production (which requires more iron), and iron is lost through sweating.

As such, if you are an athlete undertaking such training but not regularly taking in an amount of iron that meets the daily nutritional needs of iron, you are likely to suffer iron deficiency anaemia.

Inability to absorb iron

Some people do not have the capacity to absorb the amount of iron required by the body. Healthy adults absorb about ten to 15 per cent of dietary iron, but some people’s bodies are unable to absorb or use iron from food.

More need for iron

Certain situations might make your body require more iron. If this is not met, iron deficiency can easily happen. For example, pregnant or breastfeeding women need more iron for their bodies because of the baby. 

In such cases, the physiological need for iron in the body goes up and hence an equivalent increase in iron intake is needed in order to prevent low levels of iron in the body.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition in which you find womb or uterus tissues outside of the womb. It is mostly a very painful condition. 

If you have endometriosis, you may have heavy blood loss during menstrual periods. Endometriosis is difficult to diagnose because it occurs hidden in the abdominal or pelvic area outside of the uterus. Such heavy bleeds can also result in low iron levels in the body.

Can iron cause digestive problems? 

Loss of iron which leads to low levels of residual iron in the body can result in a whole host of digestive problems some of which include

• Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, ulcerative proctitis
• Peptic ulcer
• Cancer in the esophagus
• Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding
• Gastric cancer
• Cancer in the small bowel
• Colon cancer
• Gastritis, 
• Oesophagitis
• Internal bleeding

What are the signs and symptoms of having low iron in the body?

In case you want to know if you have low iron in your system, look out for any of these symptoms. You might already be experiencing some of these

• Headaches 
• Tiredness 
• Pale skin 
• Chest pains 
• Cold hands 
• Cold feet 
• Brittle nails 
• Low appetite 
• Cravings for non-food items 
• Dizziness 
• Always feeling weak 
• Fatigue 
• General shortness of breath, etc. 

Can low iron be diagnosed?

Low iron in the body can be diagnosed. The best way to diagnose low iron in your body is to consult a doctor or any qualified medical or health personnel. Doctors will conduct a physical exam and blood test. Your medical history can also be used to give a diagnosis.

What are the health complications of low iron?

Here are some health conditions of low iron in the body.

Irregular heartbeat

Low iron in the body can cause your heart to pump more blood to make up for the low amount of oxygen. This can lead to an irregular heartbeat. In severe cases, it can lead to heart failure or an enlarged heart.

Pregnancy complications

Pregnant women with low iron count can cause the child to be born prematurely or with low birth weight. Most pregnant women take iron supplements as part of their prenatal care to prevent this from happening.

Delayed growth in children and infants

Infants and children who are severely deficient in iron may experience delayed growth and development. They may also be more prone to infections.

Is there any way to treat low iron count?

You can reduce your risk of iron deficiency anaemia by choosing iron-rich foods. Foods like 

• pork 
• seafood 
• beans 
• dark green leafy vegetables (an example is spinach) 
• dried fruit such as raisins and apricots 
• bread 
• cereals that contain iron 
• peas, etc. 

Your body absorbs more iron from meat than it does from other sources. If you choose to not eat meat, you may need to increase your intake of iron-rich, plant-based foods to absorb the same amount of iron as does someone who eats meat.

You can also treat iron deficiency by drinking citrus juice or eating other foods rich in vitamin C at the same time that you eat high-iron foods. Vitamin C in citrus juices, like orange juice, helps your body to better absorb dietary iron.

The takeaway from this article

Having low iron in your body can be very dangerous. It can cause a whole lot of issues even in pregnant women. Low levels of iron in the body are known to cause a lot of common digestive problems. A low iron count can be treated easily and prevented as well.