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Hemoglobin is the iron-containing protein inside red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to every organ and tissue in your body. Low hemoglobin — the defining feature of anemia — causes fatigue, breathlessness, exercise intolerance, and brain fog. The cause of low hemoglobin (iron deficiency, B12 deficiency, chronic disease) determines the correct treatment, so context matters as much as the number itself.
Also known as: Haemoglobin, Hb, Hemoglobin, Hemoglobin (Hgb), Hgb
High hemoglobin (polycythemia) results from dehydration, chronic hypoxia, smoking, living at high altitude, or myeloproliferative disorders like polycythemia vera. Low hemoglobin (anemia) causes fatigue, breathlessness, dizziness, and exercise intolerance from iron deficiency, B12 deficiency, chronic disease, or bone marrow failure.
Standard labs flag below 12 g/dL for women and 13.5 g/dL for men. Functional practitioners target 13.5-15.0 g/dL for women and 14.5-16.5 g/dL for men. Athletes may have lower hemoglobin due to plasma volume expansion (sports anemia), which is not true anemia.