Low iron is a surprisingly common problem, especially among women, children, and those having a metabolic issue or not getting sufficient iron in their diet.
Studies estimate that 1.2 billion people have iron deficiency anemia, a condition that can become serious if not addressed on time. [1]
On the other hand, replenishing your iron stores can have many positive health effects, so long as you don't overdo it.
In this article, we'll be answering the questions: can low iron cause joint pain, and can fixing low iron solve the problem?
Key Takeaways
- Iron carries oxygen to all parts of the body, including your joints and connective tissue, and about 25% is stored as ferritin for backup. [4]
- Low iron can reduce oxygen delivery, sparking inflammation and possible joint soreness. [5, 6, 7]
- Joint pain more often comes from injury or arthritis, but iron-deficiency anemia can add to body aches.
- Too little or too much iron is harmful and can affect joints; one starving them of oxygen, the other driving oxidative stress and tissue damage. [8]
- Eating iron-rich foods like poultry and seafood is the best way to naturally support normal iron levels, but specialized supplements may also be considered in cases of diagnosed deficiencies and with your doctor's approval. [9]
How Iron Works
Beyond construction and making steel, iron is an essential mineral your body uses to make red blood cells.
Iron is needed to make hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that attracts oxygen like a magnet, carrying it from lungs to all other tissues; including your joints and muscles.
Iron is also essential for hormones, supporting your immune system, and helping the organs, tissues, and bones grow and develop.
It also plays a key role in energy production and supplies your muscles with oxygen to perform at their peak — a critical factor for overall muscle health, particularly important for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
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Furthermore, iron is crucial for making collagen, a protein that makes up your joints, cartilage, and connective tissue.
Most iron is found in your red blood cells, but about 25% is stored in your body (mostly in the liver) inside of a protein called ferritin.
Ferritin keeps iron until the body needs more for making new red blood cells or for another purpose, releasing iron where needed.
Further Reading: Low B12 and Iron: 20 Symptoms and How to Best Address Them
The Iron Deficiency Anemia Problem
The problem arises with low iron levels in the body. Without enough iron, your body starts drawing from its ferritin stores.
When those are depleted, the bone marrow eventually reduces the production of red blood cells. Over time, this means less oxygen available to tissues. This can lead to low iron anemia, and if left unchecked, severe anemia — a condition where the body is deprived of enough oxygen for optimal function.
Low iron can show up as fatigue, muscle weakness, pale skin, dizziness, brittle nails, sore tongue, muscle pain, cold hands and feet, poor concentration, headaches, chest pain, and shortness of breath, among others.
Without testing, it can be easy to mistake low iron anemia for another condition due to a wide range of symptoms. If left unaddressed, the anemia symptoms can worsen over time.
Iron Rich Foods & Iron Absorption
Why low iron in the body in the first place? Usually, it happens from low intake of iron-rich foods, like red meat, poultry, and other animal products.
Plant foods also have iron, though in the form of non-heme iron, which is less bioavailable (a.k.a., your body doesn't absorb it as well as heme-iron from animal food sources). Because of this, vegans are shown to have a higher risk of deficiency. [11]
Related: Iron Supplements for Vegans: Top 3 Reasons to Take One
Pregnant women or those with heavy bleeding during menstruation also have an increased risk of low iron. As well as individuals with certain diseases or metabolic problems that prevent them from efficiently absorbing and utilizing iron, resulting in low iron saturation despite sufficient intake.
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Can Low Iron or Ferritin Directly Affect Joints?
Yes, low iron or ferritin can negatively affect the joints by contributing to inflammation and oxidative stress.
Since iron plays a role in the transport of oxygen to cells, including those in your joints, low levels of available iron can hinder joint nourishment.
Because oxygen is vital for all cells in your body, a lack of available oxygen due to low iron levels can show up as a wide range of symptoms, including muscle and joint pain.
Joints, like all other tissues, need oxygen to function normally. Without enough, they can suffer damage, giving rise to inflammation and oxidative stress. This creates a negative cycle where increased inflammation messes with iron absorption. [10]
Could all of this ultimately manifest as joint pain? It's possible. Low iron levels, more so in the case of anemia, are known to cause body aches in joints and muscles.
Now, is low iron the most likely culprit behind joint pain? The answer is no.
While low iron can contribute to joint discomfort, it's usually not the first suspect to cross off the list. Joint pain is most often caused by injuries, overuse, inflammation, and chronic conditions like arthritis.
In rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory condition that attacks bodily tissues, red blood cells can get compromised, forcing the body to use more iron to make new ones.
Did you know? Research estimates over 60 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients suffer iron deficiency. [2]
What Joint Symptoms Might Low Iron Cause?
Joint symptoms stemming from low iron can occur in hands, wrists, fingers, and other joints.
Possible symptoms include swelling, stiffness, joint inflammation, and soreness. If low iron is left unaddressed, the symptoms can get progressively worse.
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Iron Overload: A Bigger Threat to Joints
With all being said, joint pain is more likely to occur from high iron than low iron. This is because too much iron in the body elevates oxidative stress, especially in tissues like joints. Prolonged oxidative stress from excessive iron can damage joints, the heart, and other healthy tissues.
In fact, iron overload is known to contribute to the development and worsening of osteoarthritis, resulting in cartilage wear down, pain, and stiffness. [3]
Women lose iron through menstruation and pregnancy. They are less likely to have too much iron. It's men who are generally considered to have a higher risk of accumulating too much iron in the body.
Other groups at risk of iron overload include those with hereditary hemochromatosis or similar genetic conditions, which is common in people of Northern European and Celtic backgrounds.
What to Do If You Suspect Low Iron & Body Aches
Suspecting joint pain is from low iron? Ask your doctor for lab tests. These might include ferritin status, iron saturation, Hemoglobin (Hb), and perhaps C-reactive protein (a measure of inflammation).
If it turns out that you indeed have low iron, your doctor may advise you to make dietary changes or take supplements to restore normal iron levels.
Keep in mind this still doesn't guarantee that low iron is the cause of your joint pain. It's important to also consult an orthopedic surgeon, rheumatologist, or another joint health specialist to rule out another condition.
Further Reading: Vitamin C for Iron Absorption
Final Thoughts and a Note on Iron Supplementation
Low iron and high iron are both bad for your joints. The former makes less oxygen available to your joint tissues, whereas the latter increases the risk of joint damage and arthritis.
If you have low iron and are experiencing joint pain, consider a high-quality iron supplement (with the approval of your doctor), such as Performance Lab Iron Complex with NutriGenesis® vitamin C for enhanced absorption.
Once again, while restoring normal iron levels has many important health benefits, it doesn't necessarily mean that the joint pain will go away. Especially if the cause of discomfort is something else.
References
- Auerbach, M., DeLoughery, T. G., & Tirnauer, J. S. (2025). Iron Deficiency in Adults: A Review. JAMA, 333(20), 1813–1823. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.0452
- Tański, W., Chabowski, M., Jankowska-Polańska, B., & Jankowska, E. A. (2021). Iron metabolism in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. European review for medical and pharmacological sciences, 25(12), 4325–4335. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34227067/
- Cai, C., Hu, W., & Chu, T. (2022). Interplay Between Iron Overload and Osteoarthritis: Clinical Significance and Cellular Mechanisms. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 9, 817104. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8795893/
- Moustarah, F., & Daley, S. F. (2024, January 8). Dietary iron. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK540969/
- Soppi E. T. (2018). Iron deficiency without anemia - a clinical challenge. Clinical case reports, 6(6), 1082–1086. https://doi.org/10.1002/ccr3.1529
- Cappellini, M. D., Comin-Colet, J., de Francisco, A., Dignass, A., Doehner, W., Lam, C. S., Macdougall, I. C., Rogler, G., Camaschella, C., Kadir, R., Kassebaum, N. J., Spahn, D. R., Taher, A. T., Musallam, K. M., & IRON CORE Group (2017). Iron deficiency across chronic inflammatory conditions: International expert opinion on definition, diagnosis, and management. American journal of hematology, 92(10), 1068–1078. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.24820
- Wieczorek, M., Schwarz, F., Sadlon, A., Abderhalden, L. A., de Godoi Rezende Costa Molino, C., Spahn, D. R., Schaer, D. J., Orav, E. J., Egli, A., Bischoff-Ferrari, H. A., & DO-HEALTH Research group (2022). Iron deficiency and biomarkers of inflammation: a 3-year prospective analysis of the DO-HEALTH trial. Aging clinical and experimental research, 34(3), 515–525. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8894209/
- Loveikyte, R., Bourgonje, A. R., van Goor, H., Dijkstra, G., & van der Meulen-de Jong, A. E. (2023). The effect of iron therapy on oxidative stress and intestinal microbiota in inflammatory bowel diseases: A review on the conundrum. Redox biology, 68, 102950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2023.102950
- Malesza, I. J., Bartkowiak-Wieczorek, J., Winkler-Galicki, J., Nowicka, A., Dzięciołowska, D., Błaszczyk, M., Gajniak, P., Słowińska, K., Niepolski, L., Walkowiak, J., & Mądry, E. (2022). The Dark Side of Iron: The Relationship between Iron, Inflammation and Gut Microbiota in Selected Diseases Associated with Iron Deficiency Anaemia-A Narrative Review. Nutrients, 14(17), 3478. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14173478
- Hurrell R. F. (2012). Influence of inflammatory disorders and infection on iron absorption and efficacy of iron-fortified foods. Nestle Nutrition Institute workshop series, 70, 107–116. https://doi.org/10.1159/000337673
- Pawlak, R., Berger, J., & Hines, I. (2016). Iron Status of Vegetarian Adults: A Review of Literature. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 12(6), 486–498. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827616682933
