Lack of iron impairs memory

Moderately low levels of iron can affect women's memory, attention and other mental abilities. But correcting the problem is easy, as women who take iron supplements experience a reversal of the negative effect on mental skills. People who do not get enough iron are known to feel fatigued and lethargic, but the current study shows that there is actually a neurological component to low levels of iron. Researchers from the Pennsylvania State University, USA, measured iron levels in women aged 18 to 35 years. The women were divided into three groups based on their iron levels: normal, iron-deficient but not anaemic, and anaemic. At the start of the study, women performed a set of computerised tests that measured attention, memory and learning. After completing the testing, the women were assigned to take a daily iron supplement or a placebo for about 4 months. Then they underwent the cognitive testing again. It was found that on the first round of tests, women with normal iron levels scored the highest. Women who had iron deficiency, and not anaemia , finished the tests as fast as women with normal iron levels. Women who had anaemia also did not do as well on the testing, and they took longer to finish the testing. But after women had restored healthy iron levels with supplements, their performance and speed on the testing improved. Although the effect of low iron levels on mental abilities is significant, correcting the problem is simple. The researchers noted that doctors already screen for anaemia by measuring levels of haemoglobin, an iron-containing protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. But haemoglobin levels may miss some women who have low iron levels but do not have full-fledged anaemia. These women can be identified by measuring levels of ferritin, a protein that is a good indicator of the body's total iron stores, she said.

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