Iron Requirements For Women Over 50

Insufficient iron is the most common nutrient deficiency among Americans. Your iron requirements vary throughout life, depending on your age and sex. Although iron deficiency occurs among people of all ages, you bear an increased risk of developing this condition if you are a woman in your reproductive years, due to menstrual blood loss and the increased iron requirements of pregnancy. After menopause, which commonly occurs near age 50, your iron requirement decreases.

Recommended Daily Allowance

The recommended daily allowance of iron for women over 50 is 8 mg, which assumes postmenopausal status. After age 50, women are typically approaching or have experienced menopause. The absence of menstruation reduces your daily iron requirement to the same level as men of a comparable age. The age at which women experience menopause, however, varies broadly. If you are over age 50 and are still menstruating, talk with your doctor about the amount of iron you require, especially if you experience heavy menstrual bleeding.

Dietary Iron Sources

Dietary iron comes from plant- and animal-based foods. Beef, pork, liver, poultry and fish, provide you with animal-derived iron, also known as heme iron. Vegetables, including spinach, soybeans, lentils, potatoes and kidney beans, are good sources of plant-derived iron, or nonheme iron. Raisins, prunes, cashews, blackstrap molasses and iron-fortified cereals are also rich in dietary iron. Your intestines absorb heme iron more effectively than nonheme iron, an important point to consider if your iron intake is a concern.

Functions of Iron

Your red blood cells contain roughly 67 percent of the iron in your body. Another 25 percent represents your iron stores, which are housed primarily in your liver. Your muscle cells contain most of the remaining iron in your body. Iron has a chemical affinity for oxygen. The iron-containing protein hemoglobin in your red blood cells transports oxygen to your body tissues. Iron in the muscle protein myoglobin also functions as an oxygen transporter. Iron deficiency interferes with your body's production of red blood cells, eventually leading to anemia. Common symptoms of iron deficiency include weakness, feeling cold, shortness of breath, paleness and a reduced ability to perform physical activity.

Considerations

The recommended daily allowance for iron is based on the assumption that you are in good health and free of disorders that may affect your iron needs. If you have a medical condition that causes bleeding or affects your capacity to absorb dietary iron, your daily iron requirement may be greater than the RDA for other women over 50. Conversely, a condition that causes iron overload may reduce your daily iron requirement. If you have questions about how much iron you need, talk with your doctor.