Are you always feeling exhausted, often dizzy, experiencing heart palpitations, frequent headaches, a dry throat, food cravings, brittle hair, have pale skin and becoming a little more forgetful than usual?
You could be suffering from an iron deficiency, which currently affects up to 80% of the global population.
A direct result of extreme iron deficiency is anaemia, which affects an estimated 30% of people across the world.
A recently released German study – conducted on 5000 participants and published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease – found that those with iron deficiency anaemia performed worse in memory and other general brain functions than their non-anaemic participants.
According to the study, anaemic participants showed lower performances in verbal memory and executive functions, also displaying mild cognitive impairment.
Researchers concluded that treating iron-deficiency anaemia may counter cognitive decline.
Anaemia can be defined as a condition which results from low iron levels in the blood, essential for the production of red blood cells. Red blood cells, or haemoglobin, carry oxygen throughout the body.
Low iron levels – caused by various conditions which include a poor diet, extensive blood loss, inadequate iron absorption by the body or pregnancy – could lead to a number of symptoms which include fatigue, dizziness, heart palpitations, headaches, dry throat and mouth, food cravings, brittle hair and nails and a pale skin.
East London-based Dr Daya Appavoo said the main cause of iron deficiency was a bad diet.
According to Appavoo, people at high risk include the elderly, the poor and children. If left untreated, Appavoo said iron deficiency anaemia could also lead to heart failure.
“An iron deficiency is common in children because of worms, believe it or not. It’s also very common in the elderly and is usually caused by the types of different illnesses the elderly are prone to. Another issue which could explain why iron deficiency is common in the elderly, is their poor diet. An elderly person may tell you that they’ve had a good meal today. Meanwhile all they’ve had is tea and biscuits, which is not a meal at all. With the poor, its usually just based on their diet,” Appavoo said.
“Those individuals who consume too much alcohol or those who abuse alcohol on a regular basis are also at risk and this is because they often neglect to eat. By eat I mean a balanced meal with all nutrients and vitamins.”
Pharmacist, health expert and life coach, Giulia Criscuolo said the solution to counter both iron deficiency and anaemia lay in eating a diet high in iron-rich food.
Criscuolo said those battling with an iron deficiency should attempt to eat:
l Organic red meat and poultry such as beef, chicken or lamb;
l Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, pilchards or mackerel;
l Eggs;
l Dried beans such as lima, lentils or kidney and legumes;
l Dark leafy green vegetables like spinach and broccoli;
l Wholegrains such as brown rice or quinoa; and
l Supplement their diet with the likes of Spatone, a naturally occurring iron-rich mineral water.
She said: “The solution is eating iron-rich foods and supplementing with natural iron-rich water as an alternative to conventional pills which have a low absorption rate and often cause constipation, headaches and nausea.
Professor Salome Kruger, a North-West University-based nutritionist, added liver to the list.
Kruger said a good indication of iron-rich foods, be it meat or vegetables, is their colour.
“The general rule of thumb is that the darker the meat, then the higher the iron levels in it. That goes for vegetable based iron sources as well. The darker green the vegetable is, then its iron levels are bound to be higher as well.”
Kruger said that eggs were also a good, and often overlooked, source of iron.
She explained: “Eggs have been unfairly restricted in people’s diets because of the fear of cholesterol, but eggs are a good source of both iron and protein. Of course one should check with their doctor first before drawing up any kind of a diet plan in case they have any other medical conditions that they need to be aware of. But if there is none, I would say eggs can be consumed daily and red meat and liver at least three times a week.
“If there is a condition which restricts the amount of animal protein a person can have, I would suggest a vegetable such as legumes as the next best source of iron. Vegetables such as spinach and broccoli are another good source.
“I would also urge people to drink plenty of water. It has traces of iron in it but it’s very minute amounts, basically trace elements, just like all the other minerals in water. So water, yes, but people must also ensure that there is a mixture of other iron-rich foods as well.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), iron deficiency is the most widespread nutritional disorder on the globe which leaves every age group vulnerable.
In a report titled “Iron Deficiency Anaemia Assessment, Prevention, and Control”, WHO said iron deficiency can impair the cognitive development of children from infancy through to adolescence. Iron deficiency is also said to damage immune mechanisms and is associated with increased morbidity rates.
During pregnancy, iron deficiency is associated with multiple adverse outcomes for both mother and infant, including an increased risk of haemorrhage, sepsis, maternal mortality, perinatal mortality and low birth weight.
Iron deficiency anaemia is said to impair the cognitive performance, behaviour and physical growth of infants, preschool and school-aged children. The report goes on to say that iron-deficiency anaemia can also affect the immune status and morbidity from infections of all age groups, also affecting the use of energy sources by muscles and thus impacting on the physical capacity and work performance of adolescents and adults of all age groups.
Appavoo said besides a diet change, over-the-counter supplements were available from most pharmacies.
“These are freely available and one doesn’t even need a prescription to purchase them. There are also tonics available for children,” he said. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
Iron out symptoms of anaemia with diet
You could be suffering from an iron deficiency, which currently affects up to 80% of the global population.
A direct result of extreme iron deficiency is anaemia, which affects an estimated 30% of people across the world.
A recently released German study – conducted on 5000 participants and published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease – found that those with iron deficiency anaemia performed worse in memory and other general brain functions than their non-anaemic participants.
According to the study, anaemic participants showed lower performances in verbal memory and executive functions, also displaying mild cognitive impairment.
Researchers concluded that treating iron-deficiency anaemia may counter cognitive decline.
Anaemia can be defined as a condition which results from low iron levels in the blood, essential for the production of red blood cells. Red blood cells, or haemoglobin, carry oxygen throughout the body.
Low iron levels – caused by various conditions which include a poor diet, extensive blood loss, inadequate iron absorption by the body or pregnancy – could lead to a number of symptoms which include fatigue, dizziness, heart palpitations, headaches, dry throat and mouth, food cravings, brittle hair and nails and a pale skin.
East London-based Dr Daya Appavoo said the main cause of iron deficiency was a bad diet.
According to Appavoo, people at high risk include the elderly, the poor and children. If left untreated, Appavoo said iron deficiency anaemia could also lead to heart failure.
“An iron deficiency is common in children because of worms, believe it or not. It’s also very common in the elderly and is usually caused by the types of different illnesses the elderly are prone to. Another issue which could explain why iron deficiency is common in the elderly, is their poor diet. An elderly person may tell you that they’ve had a good meal today. Meanwhile all they’ve had is tea and biscuits, which is not a meal at all. With the poor, its usually just based on their diet,” Appavoo said.
“Those individuals who consume too much alcohol or those who abuse alcohol on a regular basis are also at risk and this is because they often neglect to eat. By eat I mean a balanced meal with all nutrients and vitamins.”
Pharmacist, health expert and life coach, Giulia Criscuolo said the solution to counter both iron deficiency and anaemia lay in eating a diet high in iron-rich food.
Criscuolo said those battling with an iron deficiency should attempt to eat:
l Organic red meat and poultry such as beef, chicken or lamb;
l Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, pilchards or mackerel;
l Eggs;
l Dried beans such as lima, lentils or kidney and legumes;
l Dark leafy green vegetables like spinach and broccoli;
l Wholegrains such as brown rice or quinoa; and
l Supplement their diet with the likes of Spatone, a naturally occurring iron-rich mineral water.
She said: “The solution is eating iron-rich foods and supplementing with natural iron-rich water as an alternative to conventional pills which have a low absorption rate and often cause constipation, headaches and nausea.
Professor Salome Kruger, a North-West University-based nutritionist, added liver to the list.
Kruger said a good indication of iron-rich foods, be it meat or vegetables, is their colour.
“The general rule of thumb is that the darker the meat, then the higher the iron levels in it. That goes for vegetable based iron sources as well. The darker green the vegetable is, then its iron levels are bound to be higher as well.”
Kruger said that eggs were also a good, and often overlooked, source of iron.
She explained: “Eggs have been unfairly restricted in people’s diets because of the fear of cholesterol, but eggs are a good source of both iron and protein. Of course one should check with their doctor first before drawing up any kind of a diet plan in case they have any other medical conditions that they need to be aware of. But if there is none, I would say eggs can be consumed daily and red meat and liver at least three times a week.
“If there is a condition which restricts the amount of animal protein a person can have, I would suggest a vegetable such as legumes as the next best source of iron. Vegetables such as spinach and broccoli are another good source.
“I would also urge people to drink plenty of water. It has traces of iron in it but it’s very minute amounts, basically trace elements, just like all the other minerals in water. So water, yes, but people must also ensure that there is a mixture of other iron-rich foods as well.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), iron deficiency is the most widespread nutritional disorder on the globe which leaves every age group vulnerable.
In a report titled “Iron Deficiency Anaemia Assessment, Prevention, and Control”, WHO said iron deficiency can impair the cognitive development of children from infancy through to adolescence. Iron deficiency is also said to damage immune mechanisms and is associated with increased morbidity rates.
During pregnancy, iron deficiency is associated with multiple adverse outcomes for both mother and infant, including an increased risk of haemorrhage, sepsis, maternal mortality, perinatal mortality and low birth weight.
Iron deficiency anaemia is said to impair the cognitive performance, behaviour and physical growth of infants, preschool and school-aged children. The report goes on to say that iron-deficiency anaemia can also affect the immune status and morbidity from infections of all age groups, also affecting the use of energy sources by muscles and thus impacting on the physical capacity and work performance of adolescents and adults of all age groups.
Appavoo said besides a diet change, over-the-counter supplements were available from most pharmacies.
“These are freely available and one doesn’t even need a prescription to purchase them. There are also tonics available for children,” he said. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
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