Fatigue - the feeling of being tired, exhausted, or lacking energy - is three times as likely to affect women as men. The University of Lausanne in Switzerland conducted a four-week study of 136 women, aged 18 to 55, who had fatigue and were not anemic. The subjects were divided into two groups, one which took 80 mg per day of elemental iron (ferrous sulfate), and the other a placebo.
At the outset, participants rated themselves on a 10-point fatigue scale from 1 - no fatigue at all - to 10 - very severe fatigue. In addition, the researchers asked the women to describe any symptoms of anxiety or depression, and found that women in both groups reported low scores - meaning that these psychological factors were not likely to be the cause of fatigue. After one month, the researchers recorded a 29% decrease in the level of fatigue in the iron group compared with a 13% decrease in the placebo group.
Lead researcher Dr. F. Verdon, MD, said that medical investigators often tend to associate fatigue with emotional causes, and that iron deficiency may be an under-recognized cause of fatigue in women. Women of childbearing age with fatigue and low or borderline iron levels may also benefit from iron supplementation.
Reference: British Medical Journal; 2003, Vol. 326, 1124.
