Please note:

Any dietary or drug treatment with high doses of micronutrients may override the body's own control mechanisms; therefore, micronutrient therapies may be associated with potential side effects and toxicities. High-dosed micronutrients should not be used without medical supervision.

Anemia

The most important use of iron supplements is to treat anemia caused by iron deficiency. Anemia can be caused by many conditions, including menstrual loss, pregnancy, blood donation, bleeding ulcers, surgery (before and after), and chronic diseases such as cancer and kidney failure (18).

Anemia treatment is directed and supervised by a health care provider, who may first search for the underlying reason for the low levels of iron.


Restless legs syndrome

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological movement disorder that is often associated with sleep problems due to unpleasant sensations resulting in an irresistible urge to move the legs (19). RLS occurs in some people with iron deficiency and some RLS patients benefit from iron supplementation.

It has been suggested that low iron concentrations in certain regions of the brain may play a role in RLS (20, 21). The mechanism by which low brain iron concentration contributes to RLS is not known, but may be related to the fact that the activity of an iron-dependent enzyme is a limiting factor in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, dopamine.