In this special series, guest writer Dr Libby Weaver shares her health insights. This week she discusses all things related to iron.
Fatigue, brain fog, restless sleep, low mood, thinning hair, heart palpitations.
These symptoms are so common today that many people simply accept them as part of
Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency worldwide, and sadly, we are no exception here in New Zealand.
Data suggests that 18 to 55% of New Zealand women of reproductive age are iron-depleted or deficient, with growing numbers of children and teenagers also falling below optimal levels.
It’s a story that plays out quietly, day after day – symptoms tolerated, blamed on stress or busyness, or left unrecognised altogether.
That’s unacceptable to me. Because iron deficiency profoundly impacts quality of life – and when it’s properly addressed, the change can be life-altering. And I don’t say that lightly.
Why the body needs iron
Iron is essential for countless biochemical processes. It’s needed to carry oxygen in the blood, yes – but it also supports brain function, neurotransmitter production (including serotonin, dopamine and GABA), thyroid hormones, detoxification, mitochondrial energy production and immune health.
In other words, every cell in your body feels the effects of iron sufficiency – or the lack of it. Low iron doesn’t just make you tired. It can leave you feeling wired but exhausted. Flat and disconnected.
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Advertise with NZME.It can disrupt your focus, amplify anxious feelings, slow your metabolic rate, contribute to low mood and weaken your resilience to illness. It influences how you feel about yourself and how you interact with the world around you – every single day.
Certain groups are more vulnerable to iron deficiency. Menstruating women require around 18mg of iron per day just to maintain adequate levels.
With each menstrual cycle, women typically lose around 30mg of iron for every 60ml of blood – roughly the amount lost during a normal, healthy flow, equating to about 6–10 tampons or pads per period.
If someone naturally (for them) has heavier periods or during perimenopause, when cycles can become heavier, longer, or more frequent, iron losses often escalate even further, sometimes without women realising how significantly this depletes their stores.
For pregnant women, the need rises dramatically to 27mg per day to support the baby’s development and the mother’s expanding blood volume.
Children are increasingly at risk too. Rapid growth, fussy eating and shifting dietary patterns mean many are not meeting their iron requirements.
Iron is critical during childhood for cognitive development, emotional regulation, quality sleep and immune strength.
Low iron in children can present as poor concentration, frequent infections, delayed growth, irritability, pale skin, fatigue, picky eating, low appetite and behavioural challenges.
Alarmingly, even moderate iron deficiency in early childhood can have lasting effects on learning and social development if not addressed.
Those who eat in a vegetarian or vegan way must also pay extra attention. Non-haem iron from plant foods isn’t absorbed as easily as haem iron from animal foods. Plus, more iron absorption inhibitors – oxalates and phytates for example – are consumed if we eat this way.
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Advertise with NZME.To overcome these hurdles, we need to multiply the RDI for iron by 1.8 if we eat vegan or vegetarian. A menstruating woman following a vegan diet requires 32.4mg of iron per day.
Without careful planning – and strategies like combining iron-rich foods with vitamin C sources to enhance absorption – deficiencies can quietly develop over time. For the vast majority, high quality supplementation is essential.
Even when people know they’re iron deficient, many struggle to correct it. Traditional iron supplements often rely on forms with lousy reputations for causing digestive side effects such as constipation, nausea and stomach pain.
Understandably, many people stop taking them leaving low iron unaddressed. Combine that with inadequate dietary intake, ongoing blood loss, or absorption issues and it’s easy to see why so many people find it difficult to get – and keep – their iron levels where they need to be.
Deficiency at scale
Over the past 25 years in clinical practice, I’ve sat with thousands of people experiencing these symptoms, and time and again, restoring iron has been the missing piece. Yet despite its critical importance, replenishing iron stores in a way that is both effective and gentle has been a longstanding challenge.
In all those years, I can count on two hands the number of women I’ve encountered with truly robust iron stores – and two of them had haemochromatosis, a genetic condition of iron overload.
Since spending the last five years diving deep into iron research, this reality has only become more evident. It was the sheer scale of this problem – and the life-changing difference that restoring iron can make – that drove me to look deeper. And that’s when something remarkable emerged.
Long-term research has revealed the value of ferritin-iron, a unique form of iron sourced from organic peas, which can be concentrated and used in a supplement.
Unlike old-school iron supplements where the gut cells are exposed to “free iron” during the absorption process – which can drive inflammation, oxidative stress and some of the uncomfortable side effects – the natural protection of the ferritin protein shell, houses the iron inside, never exposing the gut cells to “free iron”.
Ferritin-iron is absorbed intact via its own unique mechanism (called receptor-mediated endocytosis) protecting the digestive system from irritation while delivering the iron efficiently and sustainably.
This mechanism is ground-breaking. It means we can finally offer iron that’s gentle on the gut, highly bioavailable and able to support iron stores without the unpleasant side effects that have discouraged so many people from supplementation. I’ve just formulated a supplement for Bio Blends using ferritin iron.
Iron’s supporting nutrients
But iron itself is only part of the picture. Your body also needs cofactors – supporting nutrients – to transport, store and properly utilise iron.
For example, copper is vital for transporting iron everywhere it needs to go once it’s inside you. Beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A) helps regulate absorption and supports immune function. Without these cofactors, even the best iron intake may not fully restore your levels.
That’s why a true solution to iron deficiency must think holistically – respecting the body’s incredible complexity and intelligence, rather than trying to overwhelm it with mega-doses that can create new problems.
When we address iron properly – with the right form, the right cofactors and a genuine understanding of what the body needs – we give people the opportunity to reclaim their energy, their clarity, their resilience and their joy. It’s the reason why I wrote a whole book about it.
Iron deficiency isn’t just a problem in other parts of the world. It’s here. It’s affecting our children’s ability to thrive at school. It’s influencing women’s experiences of pregnancy, menstruation, perimenopause and beyond. It’s playing a hidden role in mental health, in immune function, and in how we feel and show up every day.
We can change that. We must change that. And it starts with awareness — and with the right tools to truly fix iron first. Your body isn’t broken. It’s communicating. Let’s listen, respond, and rebuild from the inside out.
Dr Libby Weaver PhD is a nutritional biochemist, 13 times bestselling author and international keynote speaker. For more on supporting yourself inside and out visit Drlibby.com
Dr Libby’s new book Fix Iron First: the one thing that changes everything is available in all leading bookstores from 22nd May. For more information visit Drlibby.com.
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