What Causes Iron Deficiency Anemia?
Iron deficiency anemia happens when there’s not enough iron in your body to produce hemoglobin, which is responsible for carrying oxygen in your blood. Hemoglobin is like a taxi that picks up oxygen and drops it off where it’s needed. When you have iron deficiency anemia, your body can’t make enough taxis to carry all the oxygen you need.
There are many reasons why people get iron deficiency anemia. One of the most common causes is not getting enough iron in your diet. Foods like meat, seafood, and dark leafy greens are rich in iron, but if you don’t eat these foods regularly, you may not be getting enough iron. Iron deficiency anemia can also be caused by blood loss due to injury and other reasons. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding also need more iron than usual and may develop anemia if they don’t get enough.
In the next section, we’ll discuss some common symptoms of this type of anemia so that you can recognize them if they occur.
