Hi, I am a 17-year-old guy that recently tried to donate blood for the second time. I received a 9.7 for my blood iron level, down from 10.6 in November. My mother is anemic, and it runs in my family. With this low of a blood iron level, am I anemic? I seem to possess the symptoms of laziness, shortness of breath during exercise (really annoying because I like to exercise), etc. I also read that milk and caffeinated beverages can inhibit the absorption of iron into the body. Is that true? Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.