All living forms, both plants and animals, contain iron in their cells. The iron in the body makes up the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in the red blood cells and myoglobin, which carries and stores oxygen for the muscles. The iron present in the body’s cells is responsible for the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen. It also functions not only as a carrier, but also as a "bank" of oxygen, releasing oxygen from the lungs to the tissues all throughout the body. If the body lacks iron, oxygen supply to the tissues will be deficient.

Making up parts of the proteins in the body, iron also has an important role in energy production. It is involved in producing amino acids in the body, which executes a number of body functions.

Iron is an important part of the diet as low levels of iron results in impaired physical work capacity and output. Iron-deficient individuals are likely to experience conditions such as iron deficiency anemia although in some cases, they can have inadequate supply of iron without being anemic. Iron deficiency, the most common of nutrient deficiencies, is usually a result of malnutrition and symptoms associated with iron deficiency are fatigue, irritability, weight loss, weakness and lack of energy. Low iron levels can also result in increased susceptibility to viral infections. Individuals that are at high risk for iron deficiency and anemia include people who are suffering from conditions such as intestinal bleeding, women who experience heavy menstrual bleeding, strict vegetarians and also people who frequently donate blood.

To be able to reach the daily recommended value of iron per day (8 milligrams per day for men and women age 51 and over, 18 milligrams for women of childbearing age and 27 milligrams for pregnant women), foods rich in iron must be included in the regular diet. Excellent food sources of iron are swiss chard, vegetables such as spinach, watercress, mustard greens, kale, turnip greens; seafood such as clams, salmon, tuna and shrimp, meats,and liver.

Iron, as important it is in our body, should not be taken in excess to avoid serious health problems. Although it is rare for people to take too much iron from natural food sources, high levels of iron due to intake of iron supplements is toxic for the body due to the difficulty of its excretion.

One needs to be careful with iron supplements and children, as overdoses of iron can cause death in toddlers and children. Therefore, any iron containing supplement must be kept out of the reach of infants, toddlers and any child capable of opening the bottle.

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