Some Facts and Tips About Anaemia You Should Know

Facts and Tips About Anaemia You Should Know

People using Antacids daily have a higher risk of iron deficiency compared to normal people.

 

Medicines, such as Antacids, Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI), and H-blockers, are known to inhibit the absorption of Iron.

PPIs are a class of acid suppressants that many people take for Heartburn, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and Peptic ulcers.  Researchers in Australia have found that PPIs are causing Iron deficiency.

So, the first line of treatment for such people would be to strengthen their Gastric condition naturally, so that they can stop taking these medicines, which will naturally allow the body to balance the Iron.

 

Iron Deficiency Anaemia is an often-ignored silent health hazard for the majority of Indians.

 

Did you know India ranks among the top 20 countries for anaemia among women (Global Nutrition survey, 2016)?

In fact, as many as 66.4% of Indian women surveyed suffered from Anaemia (National Family Health Survey (NFHS), 2019)

Iron deficiency during pregnancy can cause weakness, premature deliveries, low birth weight, and infant mortality. IDA among children affects their cognitive and motor development and makes them susceptible to infections.

It is important to create awareness and recommend affordable ways to maintain the Iron balance in the body.

Jaggery with raisins is one natural food supplement to overcome IDA without prominent side effects.

 

Boiling meat can lower your iron intake.

 

Meat is important in the diet as it is a good source of quality protein, iron and B group vitamins.

But your cooking processes hugely impact the iron content of the meat. Grilling has the lowest impact on the total iron leakage and conversion of heme iron to non-heme iron in lamb meat. In contrast, boiling has the most deteriorate effect on the iron content in meat, because iron dissolves in the liquid.

So it is advisable to use/ consume the cooking liquid (soup) of meat so that the iron content is not lost.

 

Did you know that women lose iron during menstruation? Blood loss of 80 ml or more may indicate clinical Anaemia.

 

The total amount of iron that our body store is around 600 to1000 mg in the normal adult male and around 200 to 300 mg in the normal adult female. The blood loss of 40 ml during menstruation causes average loss of 1.6 mg of iron. Consecutive blood loss of more than 60 ml per menstrual period will deplete the body’s iron stores even more.

The best way is to be on an iron-rich diet during menstruation. Anjeer (Figs) and Dates can be added to diet to restore this balance.

 

Foods affect the absorption of Iron in the body.

 

Drinking coffee or tea around meal reduces iron absorption. A cup of coffee reduced iron absorption from a hamburger meal by 39%, while there was a 64% decrease with tea. This is due to Polyphenols in tea and coffee.

But when you combine your iron-rich diet with vitamin C, it increases Iron absorption by 3 times. Like Guava is an easily available fruit having 200- 300 mg/100g of ascorbic acid (Vit C). Drinking 200 ml of Guava juice a day for 2 weeks can increase Hb levels in anaemic pregnant women.

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Vinod Sadashivaiah, Founder Nutrimap. A pharmacist who believes nutrition is more powerful than medicine .

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