A cross-sectional study of data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey from 2017 to 2020 of 8,021 adults found that 14% of U.S. adults experience absolute iron deficiency (defined as serum ferritin less than 30 ng/mL regardless of transferrin saturation), while 15% have functional iron deficiency (defined as serum ferritin greater than or equal to 30 ng/mL with transferrin saturation less than 20%). Absolute iron deficiency is more prevalent among younger women, however, functional iron deficiency affects both men and women across all age groups. The data was published in JAMA Network Open.
More than you might think: The authors note their findings suggest that iron deficiency affects a large number of American adults—even in those without anemia, heart failure, or chronic kidney disease, which are common conditions associated with it. Iron deficiency is often simple to treat with dietary changes or iron supplements.