Dr. Jeffrey Gladd graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine in 2001. He then went on to train in family medicine at Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Indiana. After completing his residency, Gladd started a family practice that encompassed full spectrum care, including obstetrics, colonoscopy and endoscopy in Columbia City, Indiana In 2006. After the birth of his second child, Gladd transformed his professional and personal focus toward health through nutrition. By educating himself and applying the principles of eating whole foods, he lost 50 pounds, and reveled in improved energy and mental clarity. As a physician, increasing doses and adding medications was no longer acceptable. Gladd delved into his patients' lives — how they ate, how they managed stress, and discovered real health care.
Iron is a mineral found in many multivitamins formulated for women of reproductive age; however, iron supplementation is generally not necessary for postmenopausal women and women over 50. Once a woman enters her 50s and no longer menstruates, her iron requirements decline by nearly 45%. While iron plays an essential role in the formation of red blood cells, consuming excess iron can affect zinc absorption and contribute to unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. All of that being said, I find it necessary to test all patients' levels of total body iron to assess optimal status. While the likelihood of deficiency is lower in men as well as women over 50 years old, the intake from the diet and health of the digestive tract for absorption may still be playing a role in deficiency.