What are the ideal iron levels for a 50yr old women
Recommendations are just that, recommendations. To accurately find out what your daily dosage is, a visit to your physician would help you determine the exact dosage needed for optimal function. He or she might also recommend to take more vitamins as well. Beyond that Daniel and Toni have some good suggestions.
Hi Norma-Jean,
Women over 50 need only 8 milligrams. It’s easy to get 8 milligrams of iron daily by eating a healthy diet.
Red meat, seafood and poultry are the best food sources of iron. Your body absorbs iron more easily from meat than from other foods, MayoClinic.com reports. Other good sources include beans, spinach, raisins, apricots, eggs and iron-fortified breakfast cereals. Vitamin C boosts iron absorption, and MayoClinic.com recommends having a glass of citrus juice, such as orange juice, when you eat iron-containing foods. Vegetarian women over 50 may have a tough time meeting the daily requirement of iron. If you avoid meat, chicken and eggs, you may want to ask a registered dietician to help you plan a healthy meal plan that contains enough iron.
Daniel Yakupka
CPT IPT
Hi Norma-Jean. You don’t mention whether she is pre or post menopausal. If she is post menopausal her iron would be 9mg per day. Iron needs decrease after menopause as the need to replace the iron lost each month is not necessary. If she is pre menopausal then it would be about 18mg.
Hope that helps!