Internal bleeding, such as in your digestive or urinary tract, can cause blood loss. This can be caused by conditions such as a stomach ulcer or ulcerative colitis. Other reasons for blood loss include:. Talk to your doctor if you think you or your child might have anemia. They will do a physical exam and review your health history and symptoms. To diagnose anemia, your doctor will test your blood. This test is called a complete blood count CBC.
Based on the results, they may need to do other tests, such as testing your bone marrow. This can help confirm the cause of anemia or another health condition. You cannot avoid anemia caused by a genetic disease. You often cannot avoid it due to blood loss. If your blood loss is from heavy periods, receiving treatment can help prevent anemia.
This can help manage your levels and prevent anemia. A balanced diet can help prevent some types of anemia. Eat foods high in iron to prevent a deficiency. Vitamin C can help your body absorb iron. Try eating foods rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits or juice, peppers, and broccoli.
Some foods can make it harder for your body to absorb iron. These include coffee, tea, milk, egg whites, fiber, and soy protein. Try to avoid these foods if you have iron deficiency anemia. Pregnant people may be tested for anemia or take an iron supplement to help prevent it. However, the American Academy of Family Physicians AAFP has insufficient evidence to assess the benefits and risks of screening all pregnant people for iron deficiency anemia or having them take an iron supplement.
Evidence also is lacking to measure the benefits and risks of screening children ages 6 to 24 months. To help prevent your child from getting iron deficiency anemia, you can:. Warning: Keep all products with iron stored out of reach of your child. Iron can be toxic if taken in large amounts.
There are many treatment options for anemia. They vary based on the type, cause, and severity, as well as your overall health. The first goal of treatment is to create more healthy red blood cells that can carry enough oxygen to your body. The other goal is to treat the cause, if possible. For example, if anemia results from losing too much blood, your doctor will need to treat the cause of your blood loss.
If you have a type of anemia caused by a deficiency, make changes to your diet. This can increase your nutrient levels or help your body absorb nutrients. In some cases, your doctor can prescribe medicine to help your body produce more red blood cells. Examples include:. Other forms of anemia require intense treatment. Rather, it's important to consider when you eat certain foods, as some combinations can impact iron absorption—for better or for worse.
For example, one study looked at individual meals to assess iron absorption when different foods were combined. The study showed the body can absorb 2. Beverages that contain polyphenols or tannins, such as coffee and tea , may make it harder for your body to absorb iron if you drink them at the same time as you eat.
The effect may be lessened by having these beverages between meals instead of with them. Certain medications can make it harder for your body to absorb iron, while others may become less effective when they interact with the mineral.
Follow your healthcare provider's instructions as to when to take any drugs you've been prescribed when following an anemia diet. For example, you may be told to wait at least two hours after eating an iron-rich meal to take your thyroid medication. Because of the risk of impacting iron absorption when combining certain foods, you need to take care when planning and preparing meals. For example, if a non-compliant food is part of a recipe, consider ingredient alternatives.
Rethink pairings, too. For example, to promote better iron absorption, try topping a salad with sliced steak, which may help your body fully absorb the iron found in spinach. These tips may boost the iron content of your meal:. While red meat is a good source of iron, if you have certain health conditions or risks factors you may not want to eat it every day. Ask your healthcare provider how many times a week you should aim to include meat in your diet.
Your healthcare provider may want to test your bone mass density if you are at increased risk for developing osteoporosis. Modifying how you eat can affect other areas of your life and other aspects of your health. If you add more iron-rich foods to your diet, you will likely be eating the kinds of foods that also provide additional and valuable nutrition. On the other hand, red meat is a rich source of iron and protein, but it can also be a high-cholesterol choice.
In moderation, lean cuts of beef can be an important part of an anemia diet, especially if you use low-fat cooking methods and limit salty extras like steak sauce. Rarely, an overdose of oral iron supplements has led to toxicity.
However, this is more likely to occur if children swallow iron pills meant for adults. If you take iron supplements, make sure they are safely stored out of reach. Your body can also have too much iron due hereditary hemochromatosis.
This involves genetic changes that cause your body to be unable to regulate how much iron is in your blood. While you may start an anemia diet because your iron levels are too low, hereditary hemochromatosis can cause your levels to then become too high.
It's also possible for a person to have another form of the condition, secondary or acquired hemochromatosis, if they take high doses of iron, have alcoholic liver disease, or receive multiple blood transfusions.
These days, most restaurants are accommodating when it comes to adjusting dishes for dietary reasons, so ask about suitable substitutions if necessary.
If you eat a special diet to manage a health condition, you may need to make adjustments if you are iron deficient. If you need to avoid specific food allergens like gluten if you have celiac disease , eating a limited diet can make it harder for you to get all the nutrition you need.
You may find it helpful to work with a registered dietitian to identify what your nutritional needs are and create meal plans that will meet them. If you are anemic due to iron deficiency, you may need to make changes to your diet. Eating more iron-rich foods or limiting foods that can inhibit iron absorption are two strategies your healthcare provider may suggest.
You may need to take iron supplements or supplement other vitamins and minerals that help your body use iron, such as folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin C. If you have certain medical conditions or risk factors, such as being pregnant, menstruating regularly, eating a vegan or vegetarian diet, or have celiac disease , you may be more likely to become anemic.
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The recommended dietary allowances RDA for iron are different in men and women. For pregnant women, the RDA increases even more, to 27 mg. Post-menopause, the RDA for women drops to 8 mg. While iron intake is likely easier if you eat animal products, as one serving of meat can account for a large part of your RDA, reaching your targets is extremely doable by eating a wide range of plant-based, iron-rich foods.
These are the best foods for anemia. Time to cook up a hamburger—one of the best sources of heme is red meat. A gram serving of lean ground beef contains 2.
The heme iron in red meat also increases absorption of nonheme iron from other foods eaten at the same time, like leafy greens. It may be time to spice up your menu with some organ meats. These oft-overlooked foods, like livers and kidneys, are chock-full of iron. A 3 ounce serving of pan-fried liver weighs in at 5 mg of iron, or nearly a third of your daily intake. Dark meat from the bird is tops for iron, weighing in at 1. It may be a good idea to choose iron-fortified cereals, bread products, orange juice, rice, and pasta.
Also, fermented and sprouted grains and legumes are a better choice for people with iron deficiency because sprouting and fermenting break down anti-nutrient compounds that negatively impact iron absorption. Although adding foods rich in iron to your diet can help raise blood levels of iron, most people with iron deficiency need to take supplemental iron to achieve healthy iron status.
Some people do not absorb iron well and may need to have IV iron treatments. If a person has tried changing their diet and their iron levels remain low, they should speak with a doctor or dietitian, who may recommend a supplement. Healthcare professionals often recommend choosing a supplement containing ferrous salts such as ferrous fumarate, ferrous gluconate, or ferrous sulfate.
Iron dosage recommendations vary. People with iron deficiency anemia can benefit from adding iron to their diet. The foods and strategies listed above can help a person to manage the condition. Eating certain dark, leafy greens, meat, seafood, beans, nuts, and seeds can help a person to boost their iron intake.
It may also be a good idea to use a cast-iron skillet, and cook meals for shorter periods, when possible. Iron supplements can benefit people who do not receive enough iron from their diets.
It is essential to follow dosage instructions carefully. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, or AIHA, is an immune condition where the immune system destroys red blood cells.
It can lead to a range of health…. Macrocytic anemia is a type of anemia characterized by abnormally large red blood cells.
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