Iron-Clad Solutions to Anemia
By Christine Haran
When we work and play hard, we often pay for it with next-day fatigue. Fatigue and lethargy are also common complaints that can result from many medical conditions and sometimes their treatment. But one of the more well-known and common causes of chronic tiredness is anemia. Iron, which is mostly found in the red blood cells, is needed to courier oxygen to cells to perform their functions. Iron-deficiency anemia, the most common form of anemia, occurs when there is a lack of this mineral in the body. There are many causes for iron depletion: blood loss, red blood cell damage, low dietary intake, or poor absorption.
Although rates of iron-deficiency anemia are relatively low in the Unites States, where many people eat an iron-rich diet, it is still a concern among young children and pregnant women, whose iron requirements are high. That's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends periodic screening for anemia among infants, preschool age children and pregnant women and non-pregnant women during the reproductive years. And iron-deficiency rates are higher among women in general, and in highly trained athletes. Fortunately, most iron-deficiency anemia can be treated with dietary modifications or over-the-counter iron supplements taken under the guidance of a physician. Below, anemia researcher John Beard, a professor in the department of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University, explains the causes, detection methods and treatment for iron deficiency anemia.
What is iron deficiency anemia?
Anemia is the result of an individual being in a negative iron balance. The deficiency of iron over a long period of time will lead to an insufficient amount of iron going to bone marrow, which is where red blood cells are produced. Over a long enough period of time, people who are iron deficient will end up a lower than optimal concentration of hemoglobin, which is the iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the tissues, and a lower number of red blood cells circulating in the bloodstream. Iron goes into all the tissues in the body and is required for functioning of basically all tissues because it's essential for the production of the energy currency for cells. In order to have muscles contract or neurons fire or anything like that, cells need to expend chemical energy.
What are some of the signs and symptoms of low iron status?
What's frequently mentioned is a feeling of lethargy and lack of energy. But it's quite clear that, in the more severe stages of iron deficiency, there's a decrease in physical work capacity; the muscles will not work as well or as long. And it's been proven many times in exercise studies, for instance, that the maximal aerobic capacity is diminished in people who are iron deficient. Endurance capacity is also affected.
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