Low meat intake and heavy periods linked to increased iron deficiency risk for teen girls

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-12-04 06:00

International

What does this mean?

Jump to: MultimediaAttachmentsExpert Reaction

Teen girls who have heavy periods or don't eat much meat are at a higher risk of iron deficiency, and this risk skyrockets if they fall into both categories, according to Swedish research. The researchers investigated the diet of 394 school students aged 15+ and assessed them for heavy menstrual bleeding and iron deficiency. Just over half the participants had heavy periods and two in five were iron-deficient. The researchers say the risk of iron deficiency was about threefold for girls with heavy bleeding, and 3.5-fold for those who avoided meat. Girls who avoided meat and had heavy periods had a risk 13.5 times higher of iron deficiency compared to meat eaters who had periods that were considered normal.