Iron deficiency anemia is caused mostly by increased blood loss from the body. Blood loss can be of two types. It may be gastrointestinal or menstrual. Other causes are urinary blood loss, mal-absorption, hemolysis and poor oral intake. Women are more prone to develop iron deficiency anemia because of blood loss through menstruation or reduced oral intake.

Women in the Penn State study who were iron-deficient performed significantly worse on memory and attention tests than healthy women, and an iron supplement was all it took to correct the problem.

This can be very crucial in young women as theirs is an age when so many things are happening inside and outside them. So young women should be alarmed and try eating iron rich food. Check out Iron Rich Food for Iron Deficiency Anemia for choosing your diet. A tip for ensuring a better assimilation of iron in the body is to take in vitamin C rich food along with iron. Vitamin C (Ascorbic) acid helps in better absorption of iron from our intestine.

- Shephali

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