Addressing iron deficiency: when being tired isn't the whole story

You are tired, but not in a way that disappears after one good night's sleep. You do your job. You care for others. You plan. You manage. You say you're fine. Meanwhile, you notice you have less energy than you used to. Climbing stairs feels harder. Exercise takes more effort. Your concentration slips faster. You might have heart palpitations, restless legs, hair loss, or feel dizzy more often.

It’s logical to blame stress. Doing too much. Hormones. Sleep deprivation. Maybe even burnout.

But we often overlook something important: it is estimated that roughly one in six menstruating or pregnant women suffers from an iron deficiency. Children and teenagers going through growth spurts are also vulnerable, as iron is needed to create new cells. Teenage girls who are growing, eating selectively, and starting to menstruate are at extra risk.

How are your iron stores, actually? That is the question that is often asked too late.

You can be overwhelmed and iron-deficient at the same time. You can have a busy life and be physically running on empty. And that combination is exactly what makes this type of fatigue so insidious.

Replenishing iron doesn't start with just buying a bottle of supplements. It starts with taking your symptoms seriously, having both Hb and ferritin measured, finding the root cause, and then supplementing in a targeted way.

Why iron is so important

Iron is essential for transporting oxygen to your organs and muscles. It is necessary for the production of hemoglobin: the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout your body. With anemia caused by iron deficiency, oxygen cannot reach your cells as effectively, which can lead to symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, and heart palpitations. Heavy menstrual bleeding is a well-known cause of iron-deficiency anemia.  

But iron does more than just transport oxygen. It also plays a role in the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, in brain function, in energy production within cells, and in muscle strength. That is why low iron stores can manifest in various ways. Not just as fatigue, but also as brain fog, hair loss, brittle nails, reduced athletic performance, restless legs, or headaches.

Eventually, this can lead to anemia. But your body may give you signals long before that happens.

Ferritin: your iron storage shed

This is perhaps the most important "aha" moment of the whole story. Hb tells you something about anemia. Ferritin tells you something about your iron stores.

Ferritin is the protein your body uses to store iron. You can think of it as your storage shed. Only when that shed is nearly empty does your hemoglobin level often start to drop significantly.

This means your Hb can still look normal, and your doctor might say everything is fine, while your ferritin is already low. You may not be officially anemic, but your body has less of a buffer.

Articles on iron deficiency in women emphasize this point: many women only receive attention or treatment once anemia has developed, even though symptoms can appear earlier due to low iron stores. This doesn't mean you should interpret your own lab results. It does mean you should feel empowered to ask questions. Especially if you have been tired for a long time, have heavy periods, are losing hair, have restless legs, or notice that exercise suddenly feels much harder.

Many women don't recognize it as an iron deficiency

The symptoms of iron deficiency resemble complaints that women often already accept as normal. Tired. Dizzy. Brain fog. Short of breath. Restless legs. Hair loss. Brittle nails. Poor concentration. Exercise suddenly feeling much harder.

These aren't the kind of symptoms that automatically make you think of iron. Especially not when your life is also just busy.

NRC recently highlighted the fact that many women go around with an iron deficiency without it being recognized; estimates range from 10 to 40 percent of women. De Volkskrant also wrote about iron deficiency as an underestimated problem in women, with symptoms such as persistent lethargy, heart palpitations, restless legs, brittle nails, and hair loss.

The point isn't that every tired woman has an iron deficiency. The point is that iron deficiency occurs often enough that it shouldn't be automatically dismissed as stress.

Why women are more likely to struggle

Women lose iron through menstruation. With heavy or prolonged periods, this can add up significantly. On average, a woman loses about 40 milliliters of blood per cycle. Internationally, more than 80 milliliters is considered heavy blood loss. In practical terms, this means several full super-absorbency pads or tampons during a single cycle. With heavy periods, you sometimes cannot simply "eat enough" to fully compensate for the loss. In that case, you are losing more than you can easily replenish through diet.

Pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding can also put further pressure on iron stores. Moreover, a severe deficiency during pregnancy can have consequences, such as an increased risk of lower birth weight or issues related to blood loss during delivery.

That is why prevention is important. You don't want to start thinking about iron only when your storage shed is already empty.

The updated Wheel of Five makes iron extra important

The updated Wheel of Five is shifting toward more plant-based eating and less meat. That may be logical from the perspective of health and sustainability, but there is an important nuance when it comes to iron.

Meat provides not only protein and B vitamins but also heme iron. This is the form of iron that the body absorbs most easily. Plant-based foods primarily contain non-heme iron, for example from legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh, and leafy green vegetables.

Plant-based iron is valuable, but it is less easily absorbed. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre states that your body absorbs about 25 percent of heme iron, while the absorption of non-heme iron can vary between 1 and 10 percent. Vitamin C helps with the absorption of non-heme iron, while coffee and tea can inhibit it.  

That doesn't mean that eating less meat is automatically a problem. But it is something to look at seriously for women who menstruate, are tired, eat a vegetarian diet, or already have low iron stores.

The Dutch National Food Consumption Survey shows that the average iron intake in the Netherlands is 11.6 mg per day. Without supplements, that is 9.9 mg per day. Girls and women have lower average intakes than boys and men.  

Supplementing with extra iron

Due to menstruation, women more often need to pay extra attention to iron. At the same time, they receive less iron on average. And if the share of easily absorbable heme iron decreases due to eating less meat, you shouldn't too easily assume that it will just resolve itself.

Eating more plant-based is fine. But when it comes to iron, it requires more attention.

Preventing iron deficiency is smarter than waiting until you run dry. When it comes to iron, many people only think about supplementing once the symptoms are already there. But ideally, you want to stay ahead of an iron deficiency.

Especially if you have heavy periods, eat little meat, are vegetarian, have started eating more plant-based, have been pregnant, are breastfeeding, or notice that your recovery is not as good as it used to be.

Prevention does not start with taking iron blindly.

In the case of persistent fatigue, heavy menstruation, or recurring symptoms, don't just have your Hb checked; also discuss ferritin. This way, you can see sooner if your stores are slowly dropping, even before you are truly running on half power.

After that, you can make targeted adjustments to your diet: pair iron-rich meals with vitamin C, avoid coffee or tea immediately around mealtimes, and seek medical guidance when necessary. This way, addressing an iron deficiency isn't a last-minute fix, but part of taking better care of your foundation.

Nutrition remains the foundation, but when it comes to iron, it’s not just about what you eat. It’s also about what you absorb.

Addressing iron deficiency: don't supplement blindly

Iron is not a mineral to supplement blindly. Too little iron is a problem, but too much can also be undesirable. Excess iron can accumulate in the body and be harmful over time. Furthermore, frequent iron infusions are sometimes associated with side effects that are not yet fully understood. That is why iron supplementation does not belong in the "if it doesn't help, it won't hurt" category.

If an iron deficiency is diagnosed, a doctor may recommend iron supplementation. Especially in cases of clear deficiencies, anemia, or symptoms consistent with low iron stores, diet alone may not be enough. For anemia caused by low iron, iron pills are often prescribed, followed by a repeat blood test.  

Iron supplements can cause side effects such as stomach upset, nausea, constipation, or dark stools. That is why professional guidance is advisable.

In menstruating women, blood loss due to menstruation is often the obvious cause. However, it should not automatically be assumed to be the only explanation. In men and postmenopausal women, an iron deficiency must be investigated with extra care, as blood loss from the stomach or intestines could be a factor.

Why one mineral isn't the whole story

If you have a measured iron deficiency, you need to take it seriously. Sometimes you need targeted supplementation. But for your daily foundation, your body is more complex than just one mineral.

Many women recognize this pattern. First you think: maybe it's magnesium. Then: maybe iron. Then: maybe B12. Then: maybe zinc. Then again: maybe hormones. And before you know it, you have a drawer full of bottles, but still no clear overview.

Iron does not work in isolation. Energy, absorption, mineral balance, nutrition, gastrointestinal function, stress, and recovery all play a role. Minerals and trace elements work together as part of various processes: oxygen transport, energy, muscle function, nerves, skin, hair, and hormonal balance.

That is why it is too simplistic to think: "I'm tired, so I'll just take one mineral and be done with it."

Sometimes you need to supplement iron. But your foundation requires the full spectrum.

SMPL72: nutritional support

SMPL72 fulvic acid is not an iron supplement and not a medicine. It is therefore not intended to treat a diagnosed iron deficiency. That must be clear. However, SMPL72 does fit into the broader narrative of supplementation. Not by focusing on one isolated mineral, but by providing a natural spectrum.

SMPL72 contains fulvic acid with more than 72 minerals and trace elements that are naturally bound to the fulvic acid. In other words: they are not added by human hands. You take SMPL72 water as a daily supplement.

Not as a replacement for blood tests. Not as a replacement for iron therapy when it is medically necessary. But as a way to support your foundation more broadly than by constantly reaching for another single bottle. Because your body doesn't think in terms of isolated minerals. Your body works through synergy.

When should you consider an iron deficiency?

Discuss your iron status if you recognize these signs:

* you have been feeling tired for a long time;

* you have heavy or prolonged periods;

* you are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are breastfeeding;

* you feel dizzy easily;

* you experience heart palpitations;

* you get out of breath more quickly;

* you have restless legs;

* you are losing more hair than usual;

* your nails are brittle;

* your athletic performance is dropping;

* you eat little or no meat;

* you feel burnt out, but rest doesn't help enough.

Take your symptoms seriously. Not just Hb, but ferritin as well.

For many women, this is the missing layer beneath fatigue. Not instead of stress or burnout, but alongside it.

You can be overwhelmed and have low iron stores. You can be busy and lack sufficient physical reserves. You can try to do everything right and still develop deficiencies.

That is why the best question isn't: “Am I just tired?”

But:

what is my body running on right now?

Replenishing iron deficiency starts before you are empty

Replenishing iron deficiency doesn't start with just taking supplements. It starts with recognizing the signs in time. Thinking about your diet. And with targeted supplementation when necessary.

When an iron deficiency is diagnosed, iron sometimes simply needs to be replenished. But your daily foundation requires more than just one mineral.

Not just another empty promise. But nutrition, recovery, measurement, and a complete mineral spectrum that aligns with how your body actually works.

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Read more here about how fulvic acid works

What to look for when taking a mineral complex .

The soil and our minerals

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