Research published in the journal Nutrients suggests that low iron during menopause transition could cause brain fog and other symptoms, according to researchers from the University of Oklahoma. The study found that women who have adequate levels of iron in their blood during the transition perform better on cognitive testing, and that sufficient iron in blood did not equate to unsafe levels in the brain that have been shown to elevate the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
“When a woman makes the menopausal transition, she’s no longer losing blood on a monthly basis, which means she’s no longer losing iron,” said Michael Wenger, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the OU College of Arts and Sciences and a lead author of the study. “We wanted to see if the cost of being low on iron disappears during the menopausal transition. Very few studies have been done in this area.”
“Our previous research has shown that being iron-deficient extracts some serious costs in terms of cognitive performance,” Wenger said. “If I were to give a woman with iron deficiency a simple task in which she presses a button every time an asterisk appears on a screen, the deficiency would cost her about 150 milliseconds. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but we make simple decisions like that when we choose every word we say in a sentence. Those 150 milliseconds add up.”
“We have known for some time that the accumulation of iron in the brain is a risk factor for developing conditions like Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia,” he said. “This data was surprising, and good news because it appears that having iron levels that are at or above what you should expect for your age does not mean you’re accumulating more iron in your brain,” said Wenger.
Low iron may explain brain fog and vision changes
“Low iron could easily be one of the reasons that a woman is experiencing brain fog during the menopausal transition,” he said. “It also may be why some women talk about their eyesight changing during menopause. Iron is a critical element in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter dopamine, and the eye is dependent upon dopamine for basic signaling at the first point of contact with light.”
“I feel like we’ve had a pretty good understanding of post-menopause health, such as watching for cardiovascular issues and osteoporosis, but we haven’t known as much about what to do during this in-between phase, and it’s actually way more bothersome to people,” said OB-GYN and study co-author Pamela Miles, M.D., an associate professor in the OU College of Medicine.
Sources of iron
There are many healthy foods available to choose from that contain iron, making it simple to combine them together from a variety of sources to create a nutritious meal that can help boost your iron stores. Watercress, collard greens, salmon, dandelion greens, halibut, Swiss chard, citrus fruits, kidney beans, quinoa, dark chocolate, chickpeas, spinach, shrimp, broccoli, peas, pinto beans, tuna, oysters, and yellow peppers are all rich sources of iron. Nuts and seeds such as pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, hemp seeds, and pistachios also contain generous amounts of iron.
If you are experiencing brain fog during your menopause transition (perimenopause), it is likely not dementia. Brain fog is a common symptom women experience during perimenopause, and it is believed to be temporary. The good news is that, after talking about your situation with your doctor, you may be able to combat the brain fog by adding more healthy iron-rich foods into your diet. Remember that eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring, experiment, there is so much to choose from, including a massive selection of herbs and spices to help enhance flavors and mix things up.
Early menopause may exacerbate cognitive decline
A separate study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine and Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science assessing cognitve function, depression, risk of developing dementia, and menopause after controlling for baseline outcome measures and other covariates found that women who entered menopause before the age of 40 had worse cognitive outcomes than women who entered menopause after the age of 50.
“When looking for associations, we want to rule out as many other modifiable risk factors for dementia as possible,” explains lead author Miharu Nakanishi (Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine), “Since early menopause increases the risk of depression, which then increases the risk of dementia, we had to control for this factor to determine if early menopause in of itself was a direct risk factor.”
The results from this study of 4,726 women and 4,286 men suggest that women who experience early menopause may constitute a sex-specific high-risk group for cognitive decline. However, further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between levels of female hormones and cognitive function.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN does not agree or disagree with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement. Additionally, it is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
https://www.ou.edu/news/articles/2025/april/low-iron-brain-fog-menopause
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40077615
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/5/745
https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/menopause_at_an_early_age_can_exacerbate_cognitive_decline.html
