Iron is essential for the production of neurotransmitters like dopamine (which supports motivation and focus), serotonin (which contributes to contentment) and GABA (your brain’s natural calming agent). When iron levels are low, the availability of these chemicals declines, and that can affect how we feel, think and emotionally respond.

For adults, this can look like persistent anxiety, low mood, poor concentration, or a sense of being emotionally flat or foggy. And you don’t need to have full-blown anaemia for these symptoms to appear – even mild depletion can have a noticeable impact, especially if it’s layered with stress, sleep disruptions or hormonal shifts.

It’s something I have also seen too often in teenagers – particularly teen girls, who are more prone to iron deficiency due to menstruation, especially if their cycles are heavy or frequent, or if they eat little to no red meat. For them, low iron can show up as emotional withdrawal or volatility, poor focus, fatigue, or heightened anxiety. And it’s often misattributed to “just hormones”, dismissed as normal teen behaviour or, in some cases, treated with powerful medications without first investigating whether iron levels may be playing a role. In boys, rapid growth and activity levels can also increase iron needs and lead to similar symptoms and medications when those needs aren’t met.

Whether in adults or adolescents, low iron is frequently missed – or its effects are blamed on everything else: stress, hormones, being busy, or simply personality. But when iron levels are restored gently and properly – with the right form and the cofactors your body needs to absorb and use it – the difference can be profound.

I talk about this in Chapter 10 of my new book, Fix Iron First: the one thing that changes everything. So if you, or someone you care about, has been feeling emotionally off track, I encourage you to consider whether iron might be part of the picture. Sometimes, the solution is far simpler – and more powerful – than we think.