Iron-Deficiency Anemia, Best Ways to Prevent Iron Deficiency Anemia!?
Understanding Iron-Deficiency Anemia Anemia Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, And Prevention:
Anemia is the most common blood disorder, and according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, it affects more than 3 million Americans.
The Role of Red Blood Cells in Anemia:
Red blood cells carry hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein that attaches to oxygen in the lungs and carries it to tissues throughout the body. Anemia occurs when you do not have enough red blood cells or when your red blood cells do not function properly.
It is diagnosed when a blood test shows a hemoglobin value of less than 13.5 gm/dl in a man or less than 12.0 gm/dl in a woman. Normal values for children vary with age.
Iron-deficiency anemia is:
a common type of anemia that occurs if you do not have enough iron in your body. People with mild or moderate iron-deficiency anemia may not have any signs or symptoms. More severe iron-deficiency anemia may cause fatigue or tiredness, shortness of breath, or chest pain.
If your doctor diagnoses you with iron-deficiency anemia, your treatment will depend on the cause and severity of the condition.
Your doctor may recommend healthy eating changes, iron supplements, intravenous iron therapy for mild to moderate iron-deficiency anemia, or red blood cell transfusion for severe iron-deficiency anemia.
You may need to address the cause of your iron deficiency,
such as any underlying bleeding. If undiagnosed or untreated, iron-deficiency anemia can cause serious complications, including heart failure and development delays in children.
Signs And Symptoms:
Iron-deficiency anemia can range from mild to severe. People with mild or moderate iron-deficiency anemia may not have any signs or symptoms. Symptoms generally worsen as anemia becomes more severe. If left untreated, iron deficiency can cause complications and may be life-threatening.
Common signs And Symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia include:
- Brittle nails or spooning of the nails.
- Cracks at the sides of the mouth.
- Pale skin.
- Swelling or soreness of the tongue.
- Chest pain.
- Coldness in the hands and feet.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Dizziness.
- Fatigue, or feeling tired, is the most common symptom. This can make it hard to find the energy to do normal activities.
- Headache.
- Irregular heartbeat. This is a sign of more serious iron-deficiency anemia.
- , which are unusual cravings for non-food items, such as ice, dirt, paint, or starch.
- Restless legs syndrome.
- Shortness of breath.
- Weakness.
Complications:
Undiagnosed or untreated iron-deficiency anemia may cause the following complications:
- Depression.
- Heart problems. If you do not have enough hemoglobin-carrying red blood cells, your heart has to work harder to move oxygen-rich blood through your body.
- Cells in tissues need a steady supply of oxygen to work well.
- Normally, hemoglobin in red blood cells takes up oxygen in the lungs and carries it to all the tissues of the body.
- When your heart has to work harder, this can lead to several conditions:
- irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias, a heart murmur, an enlarged heart, or even heart failure.
- Increased risk of infections.
- Motor or development delays in children.
- Pregnancy complications, such as preterm delivery or giving birth to a baby with low birth weight
In people with chronic conditions, iron-deficiency anemia can make their condition worse or result in treatments not working as well.
Causes Of Iron-Deficiency Anemia:
Your body needs iron to make healthy red blood cells. Iron-deficiency anemia usually develops over time because your body’s intake of iron is too low. Low intake of iron can happen because of blood loss, consuming less than the recommended daily amount of iron, and medical conditions that make it hard for your body to absorb iron from the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract).
A. Blood loss:
When you lose blood, you lose iron. Certain conditions or medicines can cause blood loss and lead to iron-deficiency anemia. Common causes of blood loss that lead to iron-deficiency anemia include:
- Bleeding in your GI tract, from an ulcer, colon cancer, or regular use of medicines such as aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen.
- Certain rare genetic conditions such as hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, which causes bleeding in the bowels
- Frequent blood donation.
- Frequent blood tests, especially in infants and small children.
- Heavy menstrual periods.
- Injury or surgery.
- Urinary tract bleeding.
B. Consuming less than recommended daily amounts of iron:
Iron-deficiency anemia can be caused by getting less than the recommended daily amounts of iron. The recommended daily amounts of iron will depend on your age, sex, and whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Recommended Dail Amount of Iron In Milligram (mg) | ||||
Age | Male | Female | Pregnancy | Breastfeeding |
Birth to 6 Months |
0.27 mg | 0.27 mg | ||
7 to 12 months | 11 mg | 11 mg | ||
1 to 3 years | 7 mg | 7 mg | ||
4 to 8 years | 10 mg | 10 mg | ||
9 to 13 years | 8 mg | 8 mg | ||
14 to 18 years | 11 mg | 15 mg | 27 mg | 10 mg |
19 to 50 years | 8 mg | 18 mg | 27 mg | 9 mg |
51 or older | 8 mg | 8 mg |
Recommended daily iron intake for children and adults:
From ages,
- birth to 6 months, babies need 0.27 mg of iron.
- This number goes up to 11 mg for children ages 7 to 12 months, and down to 7 mg for children ages 1 to 3.
- 4 to 8, children need 10 mg, and from ages 9 to 13, 8 mg.
- 14 to 18, boys need 11 mg, while girls need 15 mg.
- 19 to 50, men need 8 mg, and women need 18 mg.
- After age 51, both men and women need 8 mg.
- Pregnant women need 27 mg.
- Breastfeeding girls under age 18 need 10 mg while breastfeeding women older than 18 need 9 mg.
C. Problems absorbing iron:
Risk Factors:
1. Age:
2. Unhealthy environments:
5. Sex:
Girls and women between the ages of 14 and 50 years need more iron than boys and men of the same age. Women are at higher risk for iron-deficiency anemia under some circumstances, including:
- During menstruation, especially if you experience heavy periods.
- During pregnancy, after delivery, or when breastfeeding you may be consuming less than the recommended daily amount of iron.
- This is because your need for iron increases during these periods of growth and development, and it may be hard to get the recommended amount from food alone.
- Pregnant women need more iron to support the growth of their unborn babies, so their bodies produce more blood.
- With more red blood cells on hand, their bodies can store iron to prepare for blood loss during delivery.
II. Prevention strategies:
Treatment:
Other treatments
Follow these three preventive ways and you’re on the way to better living.
1. Eat foods that are rich in Iron:
The best food sources of iron are wholegrain cereals, pulses and legumes, and fish. The best plant sources are green leafy vegetables such as dry lotus stems, cauliflower greens, and turnip greens; fruits such as black currants, watermelons, raisins, and dried dates.
However,
irons from these foods are hard for the body to absorb. It is recommended that you eat animal products, which contain heme iron. If you mix some lean meat, fish, or poultry with beans or dark leafy greens at a meal, you can improve the absorption of vegetable sources of iron up to three times. Foods rich in vitamin C also increase iron absorption.
2. Cook Using Cast-Iron Cookwares:
Did you know that cooking in cast-iron cookwares can add significant amounts of iron to your food and into your body? Yes, it’s true and this was proven by researchers who tested 20 foods.
- Acidic foods that have higher moisture content, such as applesauce and spaghetti sauce, absorb the most iron.
- In fact, for 100 grams of each (about 3.5oz.), the applesauce increased in iron content from 0.35mg to 7.3mg, and the spaghetti sauce jumped from 0.6mg to 5.7mg of iron.
Food cooked for longer periods of time absorbed more iron than food that was heated more quickly.
Foods,
- Prepared with a newer iron skillet absorbed more iron than those cooked in an older one.
- That were cooked and stirred more frequently absorbed a greater amount of iron because they came into contact with the iron more often.
- Such as hamburgers, corn tortillas, cornbread, and liver with onions won’t absorb much iron due to the shorter cooking times.
This list was provided so you can have a general idea of the difference in dietary iron content when cooking in a cast-iron pan:
Foods Tested (100g/3.5oz) = Iron content when raw = Iron content after cooking in an iron skillet:
- Applesauce, unsweetened = 0.35mg = 7.38mg.
- Spaghetti sauce = 0.61 = 5.77.
- Chili with meat and beans = 0.96 = 6.27.
- Medium white sauce = 0.22 = 3.30.
- Scrambled egg = 1.49 = 4.76.
- Spaghetti sauce with meat = 0.71 = 3.58.
- Beef vegetable stew = 0.66 = 3.4.
- Fried egg = 1.92 = 3.48.
- Spanish rice = 0.87 = 2.25.
- Rice, white = 0.67 = 1.97.
- Pan broiled bacon = 0.77 = 1.92.
- Poached egg = 1.87 = 2.32.
- Fried chicken = 0.88 = 1.89.
- Pancakes = 0.63 = 1.31.
- Pan fried green beans = 0.64 = 1.18.
- Pan broiled hamburger = 1.49 = 2.29.
- Fried potatoes = 0.42 = 0.8.
- Fried corn tortillas = 0.86 = 1.23.
- Pan-fried beef liver with onions = 3.1 = 3.87.
- Baked cornbread = 0.67 = 0.86.
3. Avoid Whole Cow’s Milk on the First 12 Months of Life:
Whole cow’s milk contains as much iron per liter as breast milk, but only a very small proportion is actually absorbed into the body. However, the iron in breast milk is very well absorbed by babies. Therefore, breast milk is one of the best sources of iron for babies providing all the iron needed (with all other nutrients and benefits) for the first 6 months of life.
The Bottom line:
breastfeeding is the best way to prevent iron deficiency anemia in babies. If breastfeeding is not an option or is stopped before 9-12 months, then iron-fortified formulas, which contain added iron, should be given to the baby instead of whole cow’s milk.
Things to Remember:
- Chronic blood loss, times of increased need such as pregnancy, and vigorous exercise can trigger iron deficiency.
- Don’t take iron supplements unless advised by your doctor.
- There are two types of iron: heme iron (found in animal foods) and nonheme iron (found in plant foods). Combining foods that are high in heme iron with nonheme iron foods boosts the absorption power.
- Keep iron supplements away from children – as little as one to three grams can kill a child under six years.
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Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment for any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”
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