Iron is one of the trace elements, but don’t let this name fool us. Its role in the body is huge. For this reason, if we suffer from iron deficiencies, we should necessarily supplement them with appropriate preparations – not supplements, but medications.
What is iron needed for in our body?
Iron is one of the trace elements necessary for the proper functioning of many tissues and organs. Our body contains about 4 g of iron. About 70 percent. it occurs in hemoglobin – a protein (and blood pigment at the same time) that allows oxygen to be taken up in the lungs and to be released in the tissues. In turn, in the bone marrow, iron is used in the process of creating red blood cells, or erythrocytes. In addition, iron is a component of myoglobin – a protein found in muscles (similar in chemical structure to hemoglobin) that allows the muscles to take the oxygen necessary for their work from the blood. This element is also present in tissue enzymes, enabling them to function. In addition, it affects the metabolism of cholesterol and promotes the detoxification of harmful substances in the liver. Iron also plays an important role in fighting bacteria and viruses by the immune system, and supports the proper functioning of the nervous system.
What favors the deficiency of this element?
Chronic bleeding is the main cause of iron deficiency. The most common sources of bleeding are the genital tract (heavy menstruation, bleeding uterine fibroids, endometriosis) and the gastrointestinal tract (gastric and duodenal ulcer disease, colon polyps, hemorrhoids, colorectal cancer). Less common blood loss occurs through the kidneys and airways. Any condition causing malabsorption also contributes to iron deficiency. The risk group also includes patients with gluten enteropathy and low gastric acidity.
Iron deficiency can be caused by the use of elimination diets, including vegetarian or vegan diets. It is believed that due to the poorer digestibility of non-heme (trivalent) iron found in plant-based foods, vegetarians should consume twice the amount of iron compared to those who eat meat that contains easily digestible heme (bivalent) iron.
Anemia is one of the effects of iron deficiency. Is it the same as anemia?
Yes, anemia is also known as anemia, and it is an adverse condition associated with a disturbance in the composition of your blood. In anemia, there is a decrease in the number of red blood cells, hemoglobin and hematocrit – an indicator that assesses the so-called blood density, which is the ratio of the volume of red blood cells to the volume of all blood.
How is anemia manifested and what is the risk for us?
Iron deficiency primarily leads to impaired red blood cell formation, which are smaller, have a reduced amount of hemoglobin, and this results in a decrease in the ability of the blood to transport oxygen and a decrease in the oxygenation of tissues and organs. Clinically, it manifests itself in the form of little specific symptoms, such as: headaches and dizziness, memory and concentration disorders, fatigue, worse exercise tolerance, palpitations, drowsiness, feeling cold, pale skin and mucous membranes. In children, anemia can lead to impaired psychomotor development.
There may also appear specific symptoms, such as: pathological hunger, e.g. for chalk, atrophy of the papillae and smoothing of its surface, as well as dry skin and cracking of the mouth corners. Hair breakage, longitudinal striation and nail brittleness are also common. The relationship of iron deficiency with the occurrence of anxiety or depression has also been proven. Severe anemia increases the risk of a heart attack, while in pregnant women it is a risk factor for preterm labor, low birth weight, or maternal and child mortality.
Why are women more likely than men to have anemia?
The more frequent occurrence of anemia in women is due to excessive blood loss during menstruation. When your periods are too heavy (over 80 ml), even a balanced diet cannot compensate for the iron loss. Then, its deficit grows month by month. The risk of anemia also increases during pregnancy and lactation. In addition, men have iron stores several times greater than women.
What tests will detect anemia?
The diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia is based on the evaluation of several parameters. The basic examination is blood count. Anemia has a reduced number of red blood cells and a reduced hemoglobin level. Depending on the level of hemoglobin, anemia can be classified as mild, moderate, severe or life-threatening. It is also important to evaluate the red blood cell itself. Characteristic for iron deficiency anemia are red blood cells with a reduced volume and lower hemoglobin content.
The next step in diagnostics is the assessment of serum iron and ferritin levels, which reflect the stored iron pool. The circulating pool is assessed by determining the concentration of transferrin and the iron saturation of transferrin. The next parameters are total and latent iron binding capacity.
How should iron deficiencies be supplemented and with what preparations? Can we do it ourselves or better under the supervision of a doctor?
Iron supplementation should be preceded by a medical visit and basic blood tests to indicate whether it is needed at all. The mainstay of treatment of iron deficiency anemia is the use of iron preparations, most often administered orally. Compounds containing divalent iron show the best absorption. It is worth choosing products that contain additionally (apart from iron) vitamin C, which significantly increases the absorption of iron.
We should also choose iron preparations that have drug status. Unlike dietary supplements, the drug is strictly regulated in accordance with pharmaceutical law, and its effectiveness has been confirmed in clinical trials.
After starting treatment, there should be an increase in hemoglobin of approximately 3 g / dl within 2 weeks. Nevertheless, medications should be used for at least 4-6 months, because initially the body uses the supplied iron on an ongoing basis in order to produce blood cells. Only after a few weeks is the iron stock replenished.
It is also necessary to use a proper diet, rich in green vegetables (e.g. parsley, chives), red meat and offal, as well as whole grain products, coarse grain groats, beets. Keep in mind that iron is better absorbed when consumed with foods rich in vitamin C (fruits, vegetables). In turn, iron absorption is weakened by compounds contained in coffee and tea, as well as a large amount of fiber and dairy products.