Anaemia is a condition that occurs normally when a person has too little iron in their blood. The iron deficiency might be due to a loss of blood (e.g. because of internal or external bleeding, or from very heavy periods over a long time). If a person’s diet does not have enough iron in it to replace the iron lost during a heavy bleed, anaemia occurs. Pregnant women often suffer from anaemia and are advised to take supplements only under the guidance of their GP.
Taking iron supplements (or eating food rich in iron) may not be sufficient to boost your iron levels, though. To absorb the iron properly and make the best use of it in your body you also need Vitamin B12 and folic acid (older people have difficulty in absorbing Vitamin B12 from their diets and may need supplements). You should also avoid drinking tea as the tannin in the tea and the calcium in the milk prohibit the absorption of iron into the blood.
There are other, less common causes of anaemia – for instance, damage to the bone marrow by leukaemia or aplastic anaemia can cause a deficiency in iron, or sickle cell anaemia which is an hereditary condition.
A person can suffer from anaemia for months without suffering any symptoms, but when symptoms do appear they tend to include:
lethargy
weakness
dizziness/faintness
headaches
shortness of breath
palpitations
brittle nails
sore mouth
pale appearance
People tend to get most of their iron from their diets via red meat, and vegetarians in particular have to take care to ensure that they get iron from other sources. Fortified cereals usually contain iron, and supplements are widely available off the shelf.
Treatment depends on the cause. If it’s simply a lack of dietary iron, then adjusting the diet to include iron-rich foods will help. These include:
red meat, liver
leafy green vegetables
eggs
dried apricots
oily fish like sardines
fortified breakfast cereals
wholemeal bread
The other nutrients essential for iron-absorption can be found in:
meat, poultry, cheese, eggs, fish, milk fortified breakfast cereals (Vitamin B12)
broccoli, leafy green veg, pulses, wheatgerm, nuts (folic acid)
Supplements are also widely available.
Vitamin C helps you to absorb iron, so drink orange juice or eat oranges.
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