10 Easy Ways to Add Iron to Your Diet

Iron deficiency is the most common form of nutritional deficiency – especially among children and pregnant women – according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.  Not getting enough can cause iron deficiency anemia and make you more susceptible to illness and infections; it can even cause premature delivery in pregnant women. So how much should you be getting? Women ages 19 to 50 should be consuming 18 milligrams of iron per day – and a whopping 27 milligrams if they’re pregnant – while men at this age only need 8 milligrams. “There are two types of iron: Heme iron from animal sources and non-heme iron from plant sources,” says Frances Largeman-Roth, RD, and New York Times bestselling author. “It’s important to get both types from your diet.

There are some amazing sources of iron to add to your diet. Here are some ideas that don’t take too much thought and there’s a little here something for everyone. These sources are anti-inflammatory and also easy for your body to absorb.

1. Cooked spinach

                                   

2. Oysters

3. Meat

4. Salmon

5. Soybean

6. Liver

7. Tempe

8. Tofu

9. Dark chocolate

10. Broccoli

10 Facts About Iron Deficiency Anemia

Hello guys, I'm back. Anyone missing me? haha. Just kidding. Today, I would to boost your knowledge about iron deficiency anemia. 

                                                            Let's go!         

1. Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutrient deficiency worldwide, it is estimated than 1.6 billion people are iron deficient anaemic and that over 3 billion people are iron deficient.

2. The prevalence of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia is similar in developed and developing nations.

3. Iron deficiency anaemia develops when the body does not have enough iron for a prolonged period so it is subsequently forced to use stored or back up iron supplies resulting in a permanent reduction in red blood cell production .

 

4. Those at highest risk of iron deficiency are those with rapid blood or iron loss for example menstruating women at a reproductive age and those individuals with increased iron requirements for example young children and pregnant women due to increased growth rates.

5. Iron deficiency in pregnant women has been estimated to be the cause of one in five cases of maternal morbidity and almost 40% of all perinatal maternal deaths are liked to anemia.

6. Often women will enter pregnancy with adequate iron stores but will develop iron deficiency in the later stages of pregnancy

7. Iron deficiency in pregnant women has been estimated to be the cause of one in five cases of maternal morbidity and almost 40% of all perinatal maternal deaths are liked to anemia. Iron deficiency anemic mothers are 30-45% less likely to have favorable pregnancy outcomes. Furthermore, infants born to anemic mothers are more likely to become anemic (odds ratio: 5.7) as they are born with less than half of the normal iron stores.

8. It is also believed that iron deficiency and anemia results in more than 20,000 deaths in children under five years old in the United States.

9. Iron deficiency causes long term negative health implications for example decreased immune mechanisms and morbidity from infections, decreased physical capacity and performance.

10. Iron deficiency is commonly treated through dietary changes and supplementation. Treatment of iron deficiency anemia varies individually depending on severity; often including dietary changes, supplements and medicines. Severe cases of iron deficiency anemia may require blood transfusions, direct iron injections and intravenous iron therapy.

 p/s: I will write a post soon about easy ways to include extra iron in your diet. Thank you for your time my beloved readers. Love you all. Take care of your health 

reported cases of anemia

Evening guys. 

Still in topics of anemia. Do you all knows the prevalence of anemia cases in Malaysia specifically? Do you ever wonder how many reported cases in Malaysia? Do you want want to know?

In Malaysia, anaemia in pregnant women still constitute a major and challenging health problem. 

Around 30% of women of reproductive age (corresponding to approximately 2 million women) have anaemia according to the WHO surveys. In a recent study of young women, 32% were anaemic, and in 88% the anaemia was due to ID. Eventually, most women of reproductive age in Malaysia will end up becoming pregnant and having children. 

When non-pregnant women with IDA become pregnant, they have a poor starting position for a good pregnancy and for a good outcome of pregnancy, unless they take adequate iron supplements from early pregnancy.

The prevalence of anemia is 35% and mostly of the mild type and more prevalent in the Indian and Malays.

Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (% of women ages 15-49) in Malaysia was 20.70 as of 2011. Its highest value over the past 16 years was 32.00 in 1995, while its lowest value was 20.70 in 2011.

The diagram shows the percentage of anemia cases in Malaysia from the year 1995 till 2011. 

    

Year	Value
1995	32.00
1996	31.30
1997	30.60
1998	30.00
1999	29.20
2000	28.50
2001	27.70
2002	26.80
2003	26.00
2004	25.20
2005	24.50
2006	23.70
2007	23.00
2008	22.20
2009	21.50
2010	20.90
2011	20.70

From the table, we can see that the number of cases has been decreased year and by year and it is a good indicator of our country health care.

 

Anemia and Friends

Hello guys, have you got an idea about anemia from our previous post? Still a bit lost? Or did you forget already? Okay then, let me do a quick recap and refresh your brain again and again. Hope you guys did not get bored with us okay. 

Anemia is diagnosed as any condition in which there is a decreased number of circulating red blood cells. Conditions where our body does not produce enough healthy red blood cells, destroys too many red blood cells, or loses circulating red blood cells can all lead to anemia. Red blood cells are critical to our body's well-being. They carry hemoglobin, a complex protein that contains iron molecules.

The main function of these molecules is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.If there are not enough red blood cells, an individual may experience symptoms such as feeling tired or weak.

This post is getting intense, right? Yes, Anemia is not something you can play around with. In order for you to fight anemia, we must get to know who are their friends. Friends?? Yes!! Anemia and friends. Anemia did has friends, not a normal one obviously. Haha. 

So, let's go!! we find their friends and fight together all of them. 

  "Come and join us!"- from Abam Sado

                                     

Basically, they are more than 400 types of Anemia currently known and these are divided into three main groups according to their cause:

§      Anemia caused by blood loss

§      Anemia caused by decreased production or production of faulty red blood cells

§      Anemia caused by the destruction of red blood cells

Causes of anemia

There is no single cause of anemia. Due to the great number of anemia types, it can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause.

Below is a general overview of the common causes of the three main groups of anemia:

1) Anemia caused by blood loss

The most common type of anemia - iron deficiency anemia - typically falls into this category. In this case, the disorder is brought on by a shortage of iron, most often caused by blood loss.

The blood loss can be categorized as acute and rapid or chronic. Rapid blood loss can include surgery, childbirth, trauma, or a ruptured blood vessel.

Chronic blood loss is more frequent among patients diagnosed with anemia. Here, the blood loss can be a result of stomach ulcers, cancer, or tumor. Women who undergo heavy menstrual bleeding may also be at risk of developing anemia.

When blood is lost, your body reacts by pulling in water from tissues outside the bloodstream in an attempt to keep the blood vessels filled. This additional water dilutes the blood, and, as a result, the red blood cells are diluted.

2) Anemia caused by decreased or faulty red blood cell productions

A patient's diet can be a cause of anemia. A lack of iron or vitamin-rich foods severely affects the body's ability to produce enough red blood cells.

Vegetarians are particularly at risk of anemia due to the elimination of meat which is high iron content. However, there are other iron-rich foods like leafy greens or iron and vitamin supplements that can be incorporated into the diet.

Located in the center of our bones is a soft, spongy tissue, called bone marrow, which is essential for the creation of red blood cells. Bone marrow produces stem cells, which develop into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Bone marrow can be affected by a number of diseases such as leukemia, where abnormal white blood cells are produced in excess, which disrupts normal production of red blood cells.

3) Anemia caused by the destruction of red blood cells

Red blood cells typically have a life span of 120 days in the bloodstream, but they can be destroyed or removed beforehand.

One type of anemia that falls into this category is autoimmune hemolytic anemia, where the body's immune system mistakenly identifies its own red blood cells as a foreign substance and attacks them. Excessive hemolysis (red blood cell breakdown) can occur due to many other medical conditions.

Management

MANAGEMENT  

Avoidance of substances that may precipitate haemolysis is essential. Usually no further management is required, although if haemolysis is marked there may be benefit from folate supplementation.

                                           Management of acute haemolysis

seek specialised advise

blood transfusion

Dialysis in acute kidney injury

Management of chronic haemolysis 

splenectomy (removing of spleen)

supplementation with folic acid

avoid naphthalene ( found in mothballs)

How do I know if I have G6PD deficiency?

Happy weekend everyone!

Today we are going to discuss about the diagnosis of G6PD deficiency. most of you might be wondering, how to perform the test? how much the test is cost? No worries, we are going to explain in more details about this below. Enjoy reading our article, guys.

The only way to tell if you have G6PD deficiency is by performing a simple blood test. Your doctor can diagnose G6PD deficiency by performing a simple blood test to check G6PD enzyme levels.

Other diagnostic tests that may be done include a complete blood count, serum hemoglobin test, and a reticulocyte count. All these tests measure the amount of red blood cells in the body. They can also help your doctor to diagnose hemolytic anemia

During your appointment, it’s important to tell your doctor about your diet and any medications you’re currently taking. These details can help your doctor with the diagnosis.

GENERAL SYMPTOM OF ANEMIA

JAUNDICE