Iron deficiency is a nutritional disease that affects human beings caused by lack of iron in the body. It is in every cell of the body; it carries the oxygen from the lungs to tissues in the form of hemoglobin. Iron is also the transport medium for electrons within cells in form of the cytochrome, and as integral part of enzyme reactions in tissues. A lack of iron can affect the vital functions of the body which can lead to a number of serious health conditions, most commonly anemia. Children are the most affected with this disease as are pre-menopausal women.

Iron deficiency can make it harder to lose weight so make sure to eat foods high in iron, such as spinach and broccoli.

The average daily intake of iron for men should be 3.8g and 2.3g for women. Various mechanisms controls iron metabolism in human beings and protects against iron deficiency. The main regulatory mechanism is found in gastrointestinal tract. The best way to acquire enough iron in the body is by eating the variety of foods that are rich in iron. These include liver, kidney, lean meat, heart, chicken, fish, rice paste, rolled oats, bread, legumes, and dried foods and ready to eat cereals and dark green vegetables.

People who are experiencing non-menstrual bleeding, bleeding from gastrointestinal tract and laryngological, cause iron deficiency. This can make the affected person to loss a lot of weight and grow weak. The most affected people are pregnant women and women who are experiencing heavy menstruation period. People who are experiencing iron deficiency diseases experiences symptoms like pallor, fatigue, weakness, pica, irritability, grooved nails and brittle, Plummer and impaired immune functions. For people who are suffering from the iron deficiency diseases, they should use some supplements that can help them to add some iron in their bodies.

However, it is not advisable to have too much iron in the blood. This is because it can increase some risks like cirrhosis, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis. It causes wear and tear on organs and tissues; if they do not acquire enough antioxidants from the diet like vitamin E and C. Iron levels are very essential to people who intend to loss weight. This because those people who use fad diets, single food diets, weight loss pills and regular fasting may be having low levels of iron and the deficiencies in valuable minerals and vitamins, making it difficult for them to sustain weight for a long time or else to lose it. Also regular exercise is a very important way of successful loss of weight. The exercise requires good oxygen supplies that reach all body parts and it requires optimum energy levels. Exercise is high risk of the iron deficiency because iron is usually lost through sweat.

Some animal foods that have iron in them like red meat and fish are easily absorbed and used in the body than the iron in plants such as vegetables. Therefore, people who have goals for losing their weight should avoid taking the foods and look for a substitute. This will help them maintain the weight the need. Vitamin C also helps iron to absorb in the body easily and so they should avoid taking food with a lot of vitamin C in it.