Can Low Iron Cause Headaches?

Pounding headaches can be debilitating and happen for no apparent reason. Headaches occur for many reasons, and most of us simply pop our over-the-counter remedy of choice and move on. 

But if you’ve been experiencing recurrent headaches that seem more severe, there could be an underlying medical condition causing them. One reason could be due to a dietary iron deficiency. 

Together, we’ll explore the importance of your body’s iron, how common an iron deficiency is, and what causes it. We’ll also cover what you can do to fix iron deficiency and talk about a recently discovered nutrient deficiency that affects an estimated one in three people globally. 

Why Is Iron Important?

Iron is an essential mineral, meaning our bodies require it to function properly but cannot readily make it on its own. Therefore, we need to get our daily recommended allowance of iron from diet and/or supplements. 

Iron’s role in the body is essential to our health. We use iron to make hemoglobin, a protein that makes up red blood cells. 

Red blood cells move oxygen throughout the body. Iron is also used to make another protein called myoglobin, which delivers oxygen specifically to the muscles. In addition, iron also plays a role in the creation of some of the body’s hormones, like serotonin and dopamine.

Iron Deficiency

Anemia is a condition where the body does not have adequate healthy red blood cells. Not all people who are anemic are anemic due to low iron levels, but iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia. 

Here are some common causes of iron deficiency anemia:

• Blood loss. If you are injured and lose a large amount of blood, you could develop anemia. Likewise, in women, heavy menstrual periods may lead to anemia. Slow, persistent blood loss within the body (caused by ulcers, polyps, colorectal cancer, or other conditions) may also lead to anemia. 

• Not enough iron in your diet. With access to an abundance of food, it is unlikely that a person with a balanced diet will develop an iron deficiency. However, some highly restrictive diets may result in an overall lack of iron. This is more common with diets that restrict animal protein or very low-calorie diets. 

• Being unable to absorb iron. Underlying illness may impact iron absorption. Celiac disease may make it more difficult for you to absorb nutrients in the small intestine, and surgery that bypasses or shortens the small intestine may also cause malabsorption. 

Pregnancy can lead to iron deficiency, but it is generally resolved once the baby arrives. If you suspect you may be iron deficient, you can check for symptoms. 

Symptoms of Iron Deficiency

The only way to know if you have an iron deficiency is to have your healthcare provider perform a blood test. 

Common symptoms of iron deficiency anemia include:

• Fatigue 
• Muscle weakness
• Chest pain accompanied by irregular heartbeat, palpitations, and/or shortness of breath
• Cold hands and feet
• Sore tongue or swollen tongue
• Pale skin
• Brittle nails
• Cravings for non-food items like dirt or laundry soap (also known as pica)
• Migraine attacks or severe headaches

Headaches are a common side effect of iron deficiency because the amount of oxygen reaching the brain is reduced. To eliminate these side effects and improve your iron levels, you’ll need to address the underlying cause of your iron deficiency first. 

Increasing Iron Levels

Discussing your iron levels and daily iron intake needs with your healthcare provider is the best way to reduce and correct iron deficiency anemia. If you discover you need to load up on iron in your diet, you can source iron from iron-rich foods or fortified foods (like cereals). If necessary, taking an iron supplement may be best for you. 

How Does Iron Overload Confuse Things?

While low iron levels can be a cause of headaches due to reduced oxygen delivery to the brain, there’s another layer to the story that’s often overlooked: iron overload can sometimes mimic iron deficiency, both in symptoms and lab results. 

This overlap can lead to confusion, especially when someone experiences fatigue, brain fog, and frequent headaches but doesn’t improve with iron supplementation. In certain cases, such as chronic inflammation or a condition called hereditary hemochromatosis (a genetic disorder that causes the body to absorb too much iron), the body begins to store excess iron in tissues. 

Paradoxically, this overload doesn’t always translate into readily usable iron for the body. Instead, iron gets locked away in storage, leading to low serum iron and low transferrin saturation — markers that often look like classic iron deficiency. However, ferritin levels, which reflect iron stores, are typically elevated in these scenarios.

This is where things can get tricky. Ferritin is also an acute-phase reactant, meaning it rises in response to inflammation, infection, or liver stress, not just from iron storage. That means someone can technically have enough or even too much iron stored in their body but still feel like they’re iron deficient due to poor iron utilization.

Taking iron supplements in this context, without understanding the full picture, can actually make symptoms worse. Extra iron may fuel inflammation, increase oxidative stress, and even cause long-term damage to organs like the liver and heart if left unchecked. 

The combination of low iron in your blood with high iron in your tissues may be becoming more common. This type of iron overload can be caused by a new nutritional deficiency

recently discovered by researchers studying longevity. Understanding how this deficiency negatively impacts our health can help us unlock the secret to living longer, healthier lives. 

The New Deficiency on the Block

The discovery of new dietary deficiencies is rare due to the abundance of food in developed countries. Another rarity? The discovery of new, essential nutrients. Scientists have recently discovered both. 

Researchers studying populations of Navy dolphins noticed that some populations of dolphins had fewer occurrences of age-related illness than other populations. These dolphins had a diet that was rich in pentadecanoic acid, or C15:0 for short. 

They carried their research further and discovered that the same longevity-protective benefits were available to humans, too. As studies progressed (there are now over 100 peer-reviewed studies on the efficacy and health benefits of C15:0), researchers also discovered that a deficiency in C15:0 was not only possible but could be affecting as many as one in three people worldwide. 

The deficiency, known as Cellular Fragility Syndrome, has detrimental health implications that could shorten longevity and reduce health span. 

What Is C15:0?

C15:0 is an odd-chain, saturated fatty acid that is essential for our bodies to thrive. It works by supporting our wellness at a cellular level by:

• Keeping cell membranes strong. With age, cell membranes become flimsy and leave our cells subject to deterioration. In studies, C15:0 was shown to integrate into cell membranes to strengthen them by up to 80%. 

• Clearing away damaged cells. Sometimes, cells lose their function but don’t die. These zombie-like cells hang out in our bodies, creating inflammation. C15:0 helps clear damaged cells by activating AMPK, a kind of cellular clean-up molecule. 

• Regulating inflammatory response. C15:0 significantly calms and lowers proinflammatory cytokines, a key driver of aging.

• Restoring mitochondrial function. C15:0 repairs mitochondrial function, increasing our cell’s energy output and decreasing damaging reactive oxygen species by 45%.

• Increasing cellular energy. C15:0 has been shown to have significant cell energy (aka ATP) generating power. In one peer-reviewed study, C15:0 was shown to increase ATP levels in cells by 350%.

• Activating AMPK. C15:0 helps restore total body homeostasis by regulating glucose uptake and calming the immune system. 

• Activating PPARɑ and PPARẟ receptors. By activating these receptors, C15:0 has been shown in peer-reviewed studies to support metabolic, immune, heart, and liver health in relevant models. These receptors also help to improve mood and deepen sleep.

C15:0 has also been shown to help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol, support gut health, improve liver enzymes, and target 6 out of the 12 hallmarks of aging. These benefits are impressive, but equally impressive (and alarming) are the implications of not having enough C15:0 in the body. 

What Is Cellular Fragility Syndrome?

Cellular Fragility Syndrome starts with low C15:0, which causes fragile cell membranes that are susceptible to lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis, a newly discovered form of cell death. Ferroptosis has been studied extensively and linked to accelerated aging, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cognitive decline, and NAFLD. 

It is important to note that Cellular Fragility Syndrome is linked to the iron overload mentioned above. This makes keeping your C15:0 levels in the optimal range even more important. 

It’s interesting to note that in certain Blue Zones across the globe, levels of C15:0 are much higher than the global average. In Sardinia, Italy, for example, people living in this high longevity zone have levels of C15:0 that are about 0.68% of a person’s total fatty acid count. That is three times higher than normal levels. The good news is that we can tap into some of this Blue Zone-level longevity by fixing Cellular Fragility Syndrome. 

How Do I Get C15:0?

C15:0 is found in trace amounts in full-fat dairy products like whole milk and butter. Unfortunately, you’d have to consume a lot of whole milk to increase your circulating C15:0 levels, and that could be problematic for several reasons. 

Calories

It’s no secret that whole-fat dairy packs a wallop of calories. This is probably why a recent large-scale study discovered that adults who drink whole milk have higher body weights than those who don’t. 

This doesn’t mean that whole milk doesn’t have some benefits, but it’s hard to separate the benefits from the overall impact that whole milk has on our health. Calorically speaking, adding an eight-ounce cup of whole milk to your daily diet will net you an extra 150 calories or 1,050 calories per week. This doesn’t exactly support a weight loss plan and may interfere with your ability to keep a consistent weight. 

Sugar

If you’re monitoring your sugar intake, whole milk might be off the table. Whole milk contains sugar (from lactose) that could make it a no-go for people with insulin resistance or who simply want to reduce their intake of the sweet stuff. That 150-calorie cup of milk also contains 12 sugars. 

Bad Fats

While whole milk does contain good, essential C15:0, it also contains much higher levels of even-chain saturated fats. These fats are continually associated with poorer health. That is probably why studies evaluating the effects of milk on our health are mixed (some say dairy fat is bad for us, while others say it is good for us). 

Cows

You can’t consume dairy milk without the use of, well, cows. The movement to more plant-based milk and meat replacements is driven by a desire for more animal-free products and to veer from cows and cattle because of concerns around methane production. Interestingly, plant-based milk replacements lack C15:0 altogether. If you’re on a path to avoid animal products, consuming more milk won’t fit with your lifestyle. 

Absorption

In milk (and other foods), C15:0 is attached to branches of lipids called triacylglycerides, aka triglycerides. That means our gut has to use digestive enzymes to break down these triacylglycerides to release C15:0 as a free fatty acid. Once C15:0 is released, it is ready to be absorbed. These multiple steps can make our absorption of C15:0 from foods less efficient.

A solution? Fatty15.

Fatty15: The C15:0 Solution

Fatty15 is the first and only supplement that contains the pure, vegan-friendly version of C15:0. This once-a-day capsule contains all the C15:0 you need to restore your circulating levels and help eliminate Cellular Fragility Syndrome in your body. 

It’s made in free fatty acid form, so your body can easily absorb it. It only contains 1 calorie per dose. Adding fatty15 to your daily routine is an easy way to support your long-term health. 

Fix That Headache

That headache could be from iron deficiency, and if it is, fixing your iron deficiency is the solution to help you feel better. While you’re fixing deficiencies, grab fatty15 to make sure you are getting the C15:0 your body needs. 

Fatty15 helps you live healthier, for longer.

Sources:

Iron deficiency anemia - Symptoms & causes | Mayo Clinic

Resources | Discoverc15

Efficacy of dietary odd-chain saturated fatty acid pentadecanoic acid parallels broad associated health benefits in humans: could it be essential? | Scientific Reports

A review of odd-chain fatty acid metabolism and the role of pentadecanoic Acid (c15:0) and heptadecanoic Acid (c17:0) in health and disease | nih.gov

About Hereditary Hemochromatosis | CDC 

Effect of an Asian-adapted Mediterranean diet and pentadecanoic acid on fatty liver disease: the TANGO randomized controlled trial | ScienceDirect

Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0), an Essential Fatty Acid, Shares Clinically Relevant Cell-Based Activities with Leading Longevity-Enhancing Compounds

Ferroptosis: An Iron-Dependent Form of Nonapoptotic Cell Death

Dairy consumption and overweight and obesity: a systematic review of prospective cohort studies - Louie - 2011