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Iron Deficiency Anaemia Information
Introduction
There are many conditions in Western industrialised societies today that were unheard of, or at least very rare, just a century ago. The same conditions are still unheard of in primitive peoples who do not have the 'benefits' of our knowledge. There is a very good reason for this: They eat what Nature intended; we don't. The diseases caused by our incorrect and unnatural diets are those featured on these pages.
Dietary causes of anemia:
Bran (cereal fibre); soya; low intake of red meat; vegetarian diet.
Introduction
If there is a large intake of 'anti-nutrients' such as phytate, dietary fibre and tannins, which impair the absorption of iron,[i] and a low intake of flesh foods (another result of the 'healthy' diet-heart recommendations), there is a real risk of iron deficiency anaemia. Twenty years ago sub-optimal iron intakes were already being found in Britain, USA, Canada and South Africa.[ii]
Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia. It is a condition in which blood lacks adequate healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen to tissues. As the name implies, iron deficiency anemia is due to insufficient iron. Your body needs the element iron to make hemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen.
Iron deficiency anaemia is common, especially in women. One in five women and half of all pregnant women are iron deficient. Lack of iron in your diet is the most common cause of iron deficiency anaemia, but there are other causes as well.
Complications
Mild iron deficiency anemia usually doesn't cause complications; however, if it isn't corrected, iron deficiency anemia can lead to serious health problems, such as:
- Heart problems. Your heart has work harder pumping more blood to compensate for the lack of oxygen in the blood when you're anemic. In people with coronary artery disease in which the arteries that feed the heart are narrowed anemia can lead to the chest pain called angina. Angina is caused by insufficient oxygen reaching the heart muscle. Iron deficiency anemia may lead to a rapid or irregular heartbeat.
- Problems during pregnancy. If you are pregnant, severe iron deficiency anemia can cause premature births and low birth weight babies.
- Growth problems in infants. As well as anemia, delayed growth is common in infants and children with severe iron deficiency. If it not corrected, iron deficiency anemia can cause physical and mental delays in infants and children. Iron deficiency anemia is associated with an increased susceptibility to infectious diseases.
Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of any form of anemia are:
- fatigue, which may often be quite extreme,
- overall weakness,
- shortness of breath,
- frequent and lasting headaches,
- light-headedness,
- pale skin and cold hands and feet.
Occasionally, people with iron deficiency anemia experience restless legs syndrome. Additional symptoms found in iron deficiency are:
- inflammation or soreness of your tongue
- Brittle nails
- Unusual cravings for non-nutritive substances, such as pure starch or soil
- Poor appetite, especially in infants and children.
Initially, iron deficiency anemia can be so mild that it goes unnoticed. But as the body becomes more deficient in iron and anemia worsens, the signs and symptoms intensify. If you or your child develops signs and symptoms that suggest iron deficiency anemia, your diet may be at fault.
Dietary causes of iron deficiency anemia
Your body needs a supply of oxygenated blood to function. Oxygenated blood helps give your body its energy and your skin a healthy glow. It is the red blood cells called erythrocytes that carry oxygen from your lungs, by way of your bloodstream, to your brain and the other organs and tissues.
Red blood cells contain an iron-rich substance called haemoglobin. Just as rust is red, so it is the iron the haemoglobin in red blood cells that give blood its colour. Rust is oxidized iron. The iron in hemoglobin carries oxygen from your lungs to all parts of your body. Iron deficiency leads to inadequate amounts of hemoglobin. Without enough hemoglobin, red blood cells are smaller and paler than normal and they can't carry as much oxygen to your tissues.
Your body gets the iron it needs from the foods you eat. Examples of iron-rich foods include liver, red meat, egg yolks, dairy products or iron-fortified foods. For proper growth and development, infants and children need iron from their diet, too. There are also plants which contain iron, but many of these foods that are apparently rich in iron are not good providers. Many such foods contain antinutrients which bind with the iron so that you cannot absorb it from your food. The worst offenders are the cereals, particularly wholemeal and soy, which contain phytic acid. It is the bran in cereals that contains the phytic acid.
Other dietary causes of anemia
The other major cause of anemia is a lack of vitamin B12. In this case it is called Pernicious Anemia and is often fatal. Vitamin B12 is also needed for the body to manufacture hemoglobin. Not surprisingly, extreme vegetarianism, if practised without sufficient knowledge is another major cause of anemia. Vitamin B12 works in conjunction with another B vitamin: folic acid. The two are needed together. If folic acid is taken when the body is deficient in vitamin B12, this can be very dangerous as the folic acid can mask the vitamin B12 deficiency until it becomes too late to prevent death.
Non-dietary causes of iron deficiency anemia include:
- Menstruation. Women with heavy periods are at risk of iron deficiency anemia because they lose a lot of blood during menstruation and, of course the iron in that blood, which has to be replaced.
- Ulcers and tumors. Long-term blood loss from any cause within the body — peptic ulcer, a kidney or bladder tumor, a colon polyp, ulcerative colitis, colorectal cancer, or uterine fibroids — can cause iron deficiency anemia. Blood lost from within the body may show up in your urine or stools, producing black or bloody stools. Inform your doctor if you notice blood in your urine or stools.
- An inability to absorb iron. Intestinal disorders such as Crohn's disease or celiac disease, reduce the intestine's ability to absorb nutrients from digested food, can lead to iron deficiency anemia. If part of your small intestine has been bypassed or removed surgically, that may affect your ability to absorb iron and other nutrients.
- Prescription drugs. The regular use of aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause gastrointestinal bleeding. These should always be taken with a meal, to prevent this happening. Stomach acid blockers called proton pump inhibitors can also lead to iron deficiency anemia, although this is unusual. Your body needs stomach acid, which these products suppress, to convert dietary iron into a form that can readily be absorbed by the small intestine.
- Pregnancy. Iron deficiency anemia occurs in many pregnant women because they are eating for two — not only is their own blood volume increased it is a source of hemoglobin for the growing fetus. A fetus needs iron to develop red blood cells, blood vessels and muscle.
- Infancy and childhood. Children need extra iron during growth spurts, because iron is also important for muscle development. If your child isn't eating a diet rich in animal products such as red meat and liver, he or she may be at risk of anemia.
Treatment
Once you become deficient in iron to the point you develop anemia, increased intake of iron-rich foods is usually all that is needed. Doctors may recommend a daily multivitamin containing iron or iron tablets such as prescription ferrous sulphate. These oral iron supplements are usually best absorbed in an empty stomach; however there are risks: iron can irritate your stomach, and it is also possible to overdose on iron taken in this way. iron supplements can also cause constipation. Iron almost always turns stools black. While this is a harmless side effect, it does mimic the effects of a bleeding colon which could be caused by a tumor. If you have very dark or black stools, you should see your doctor.
Prevention
You can help prevent iron deficiency anemia by eating foods from animal sources which are rich in iron. Eating iron-containing foods is particularly important for people who have higher iron requirements, such as children and menstruating or pregnant women.
Foods rich in iron include liver, red meat, seafood, poultry and eggs. Meat sources of iron are easily absorbed by your body.
Some plant-based foods also contain iron, although they're less easily absorbed. Among the best are iron-fortified cereals, breads and pastas, but they must not be wholemeal or be eaten with bran. Beans and peas, dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and raisins, nuts, and seeds also contain iron, but again the iron is not well absorbed into the body.
References
[i]. Addy D. Happiness is: iron. Br Med J 1986; 292: 969
[ii]. Bindra GS, Gibson RS. Iron status of predominantly lacto-ovo-vegetarian East Indian immigrants to Canada: a model approach. Am J Clin Nutr 1986; 44: 643.
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