Iron

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			Benefits Sources Deficiencies People At Risk

Iron's On Key For More Energy

The American Academy of Pediatrics sings the praises of Iron as a main headliner for more active, balanced lives.
However, they note that Iron deficiency still tops the charts as the most common nutritional deficiency in America affecting:

Older infants
Young children because they grow so fast
Teenage girls and women in the child-bearing years who must make up for monthly blood losses with Iron-rich foods or dietary supplements

An Iron deficiency can also lead to anemia, which often saps a child's energy and can cause the blues in otherwise happy children.

Benefits - Heavy Metal Facts

Iron is a metal. No, not a heavy metal, but rather a trace mineral that is found in the body, usually combined with protein. The term "trace" does not reflect how important a mineral is for a healthy body. Rather the classification reflects the fact that trace minerals are less concentrated than major minerals. Iron works in concert with a molecule found in red blood cells. Without Iron, the body can't make hemoglobin or myoglobin, the stars which carry oxygen in the blood to muscles.

A medley of animal and plant foods band together to provide essential Iron:

Animal products such as meat, poultry, and seafood supply heme Iron, the form of Iron the body absorbs the best.
Plant foods (including spinach and legumes) supply nonheme Iron, the type of Iron also added to breads, cereals, pasta, rice and fortified grains.

A steady volume of fortified grains can conduct enough Iron to maintain adequate energy levels. People who don't eat meat and/or get enough fortified grains should take a daily multivitamin with Iron for safety's sake.

For an encore, nonheme Iron absorption can also be cranked up by adding a source of vitamin C. Get in a rhythm of offering kids oranges, orange juice, tomatoes, kiwi, strawberries or red bell pepper with each meal to make the most of nonheme Iron.

RDA – children

Ages 4-8: 10 mg
Ages 9-13: 8 mg
Ages 14-18: 11mg (males) / 15mg (females)

		Tune In to these Iron Producing Hits!
		Fatigue Fighter Iron takes center stage to beat fatigue. It helps crank up the volume of energy in the body. As a component of hemoglobin, Iron vitalizes red blood cells that carry essential oxygen to body tissues …and that means less fatigue and more energy to perform
	Give Me Immunity (And Give Me Life) Iron is instrumental in keeping the immune system in tune. It amps up and energizes fighter white blood cells, the major immune health guardians in the body to help resist infection and maintain health. Infection Detection Thanks to Iron, vitalized white blood cells also deflect and attack infections. It keeps energy levels high and prevents that rundown sick feeling to keep the body happy and healthy. My Metabolism Rocks Iron is the conductor that helps metabolize the family of B vitamins to keep the body's metabolism strong thanks to copper, cobalt, manganese and Vitamin C which help metabolize the Iron.

	Sources: Iron Headliners

	Deficiencies: The Chart Topper
	Iron Deficiency = Less Efficiency. A lack of Iron can really slow down the pace and tempo preventing people from enjoying a healthy balanced lifestyle.
	Deficiency Symptoms
	General lethargy Pica (compulsive eating of non-food items) Paleness of the skin or eyes Cognitive problems (such as impaired learning ability) Spoon Nails (thin and concave fingernails)	Unusual fatigue after exercise Pagophagia (compulsive eating of ice) Intestinal problems
	Iron-Deficient Anemia
	Iron-deficiency anemia directly impacts a child's readiness to learn. Children and youth with anemia usually are less attentive than their classmates and may fall seriously behind. Nutrition is clearly a significant factor in a child's short and long-term learning ability. Stay Upbeat…Eat Iron and enjoy a more active, balanced lifestyle.

People at Risk: Off Key Notes

Adolescent girls are at particular risk because, out of concern for their weight, many follow diets that reduce the amount of meat they eat at a time in their lives when their Iron needs are increasing.
Older infants and young children
Women in the childbearing years as well as teenage girls who must make up for monthly blood losses with Iron-rich foods or dietary supplements

Help people at risk by banding together to ensure they consume sufficient levels of Iron and perform at a high energy level.

Sources:
USDA - Nutrient Data Lab (Sept. 1996)
USDA School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children
US Dept of health and Human Services, Guidelines for School health programs to Promote Lifelong Healthy Eating, June 1996
CNN.com, Food Resource Planner
2004 President and Fellows of Harvard College.
AHA Science Advisory: Stanol/Sterol Ester-Containing Foods and Blood Cholesterol Levels, #71-0201 Circulation. 2001;103:1177
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, School Lunch Report, August 2004
WebMD Health
National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements
AHA Conference Proceedings: Summary of the Scientific Conference on Dietary Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Health, #71-0200 Circulation. 2001;103:1034-1039
Journal of Epidemiology (May, 1992)
The Vitamin and Nutrition Center, 2004