Why iron deficiency is the quiet epidemic among Indian women

Fatigue that sleep doesn't fix. Hair in the shower drain. Breathlessness climbing one flight of stairs. Cold hands. Most women file these under 'stress' and move on.

National survey data has consistently placed anaemia prevalence among Indian women of reproductive age above 50%. Monthly blood loss plus a largely plant-based diet — where iron is in the poorly absorbed non-haem form — makes this structural rather than personal.

Absorption is the whole game. Vitamin C dramatically improves non-haem iron uptake; tea, coffee and calcium taken alongside iron suppress it. Gentler chelated forms such as ferrous bisglycinate cause markedly less constipation and nausea than ferrous sulphate.

Pair iron with B12 and folate. They work as a unit in red blood cell formation, and correcting one while ignoring the others rarely resolves the tiredness.