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Yeah right, your solution is to take supplements as opposed to eating truly nutritious foods? No need, eat real health foods like liver, kidney, red meats, eggs............no need to eat inferior iron with a supplement chase.
When you are deficient you are going to absorb more iron, but that is the same for heme/non-heme.
There is my case, I had quite decreased RBC's and lots of symptoms..........a PERISTANT intake of high quality foods built
up my stores of iron, rbc's and my symptoms went away. In most cases, this will assist in RBC production.
Of course a case by case treatment should be applied. I was never a red meat eater before my diagnosis. Aftwards I took supplements, did not work out really great for a variety of reasons. The foods containing the best quality iron.....HEME IRON, helped me more than any pills did.
Non Heme iron can have so many problems, some people will absorb 2%. Others get too many side effects. Many foods can drastically decrease absorption. Non heme is pretty weak, real superfoods are better, they have a lot more good stuff for you than just iron.
I will not argue with you, or the mod will close the thread. I never said not to eat a nutritious diet. I am merely pointing out that for someone who is significantly iron deficient, a supplement will work better than trying to do it with diet alone. Diet plus supplement is even better.
I believe your position that heme iron is better than the iron in a supplement is not true. The iron in a supplement is not what you are thinking of as "non-heme", which really refers to iron in plant sources that contain other substances which interfere with the absorption of the iron.
"Heme and nonheme iron in cooked beef loin was found to be 1.1 and 1.3 mg/100 g, respectively."
And liver:
"Liver is a good source of iron, particularly pork liver (12.6 mg/100 g), with approximately 2.3 mg/100 g of heme iron."
The proteins in beef help with the absorption of non-heme iron --- and the iron in supplements.
So it's best not to get too hung up on the heme/nonheme aspect.
If you read some of my other posts, you will find that I believe most supplements are a waste of time. Iron replacement in the context of a confirmed deficiency is a therapeutic medication, not a mere supplement.
As Stepka has pointed out, if you continue to lose blood, as with heavy menstrual loss, it is difficult to keep up even if you take a supplement.
That's why I have mentioned several times that the cause of the deficiency needs to be found and treated.
As Stepka has pointed out, if you continue to lose blood, as with heavy menstrual loss, it is difficult to keep up even if you take a supplement.
That's why I have mentioned several times that the cause of the deficiency needs to be found and treated.
It's true, when it goes out faster than it comes in, you have to take iron pills--diet alone won't correct it. It's not only important to get the iron replaced, but it's also important to figure out how to absorb it better, or you're wasting time and money. Vitamin C is the best and cheapest way to do that. Also, there are components of food that block iron absorption:
Quote:
Phytates and Oxalates--Phytates are strong inhibitors of iron absorption, reducing its availability by up to 60 percent. Phytates are found in whole grains, maize, cereals, legumes and nuts. Vegetarian diets that rely heavily on these foods may make you susceptible to anemia even though the iron content of these foods is high. Oxalate is found in spinach, chard, berries and chocolate. Spinach is an example of a food that contains high amount of iron yet is not a good dietary source of the mineral, because the iron in it is bound to oxalate and is not available for absorption.Read more: Foods To Avoid With Iron | LIVESTRONG.COM
I might add that non-fermented soy products are esp high in phytates. Also, there are ways to lower the phytate content in breads and nuts and if anyone is interested I'll post links.
Calcium will also block absorption and one cup of skim milk will un-do your high iron liver and onions meal. Not too encouraging, is it? What really makes it discouraging is that all of the foods that block iron are healthy foods.
As Suzy said though, docs are usually more troubled by what may be causing it. You could have an undetected bleeding ulcer or colon cancer and never know it if the doc doesn't follow up on the anemia clue.
Greens, greens, greens...and .....greens...and did I mention...greens????
When you have a chronic anemia, IMO, there is nothing better for you than to supplement with chlorophyll rich foods. It has excellent blood building qualities. Shots of wheatgrass, algaes like Spirulina and Chlorella, Kamut...all those super greens are very valuable when you are anemic. Just to mention, since I was a child, I struggled with iron deficiency anemia as well as B12. Every time I feel like I'm sliding, I start drinking these greens and I'm back on track.
Also, there are other foods that can help you: Black Strap Molasses, pomegranate, organ meats etc...
I strongly advice against any man-made, synthetic iron vitamins. Do not absorb properly in your body. However, sometimes the diet is just enough and you NEED to supplement. From my research, there is no better supplements than super greens.
Try eating raisins. When I have my appointment to give blood, I have to eat raisins for at least a week so that they will let me give blood because my hemoglobin is so low. I was told by the blood bank that I was the last person who should be giving, but if I insisted, then I needed to eat raisins. Adding them to your diet might help. They also told me to not drink tea before giving.
I will not argue with you, or the mod will close the thread. I never said not to eat a nutritious diet. I am merely pointing out that for someone who is significantly iron deficient, a supplement will work better than trying to do it with diet alone. Diet plus supplement is even better.
I believe your position that heme iron is better than the iron in a supplement is not true. The iron in a supplement is not what you are thinking of as "non-heme", which really refers to iron in plant sources that contain other substances which interfere with the absorption of the iron.
"Heme and nonheme iron in cooked beef loin was found to be 1.1 and 1.3 mg/100 g, respectively."
And liver:
"Liver is a good source of iron, particularly pork liver (12.6 mg/100 g), with approximately 2.3 mg/100 g of heme iron."
The proteins in beef help with the absorption of non-heme iron --- and the iron in supplements.
So it's best not to get too hung up on the heme/nonheme aspect.
If you read some of my other posts, you will find that I believe most supplements are a waste of time. Iron replacement in the context of a confirmed deficiency is a therapeutic medication, not a mere supplement.
As Stepka has pointed out, if you continue to lose blood, as with heavy menstrual loss, it is difficult to keep up even if you take a supplement.
That's why I have mentioned several times that the cause of the deficiency needs to be found and treated.
Thanks for the interesting post. And yeah, great point, I do not want to get suspended again or have the thread locked out.
I will just say that I think quite a bit of Anemia today if not from a existing health problems......excessive destruction, poor production, poor absorption. I think that lots of people have a nutrient poor diet when it comes to biologically available iron. Part of it is modernity.......who the h*ll wants to eat yucky liver or spleen. Part is that lots of people are convinced that it is bad to eat read meat.
Thanks for the interesting post. And yeah, great point, I do not want to get suspended again or have the thread locked out.
I will just say that I think quite a bit of Anemia today if not from a existing health problems......excessive destruction, poor production, poor absorption. I think that lots of people have a nutrient poor diet when it comes to biologically available iron. Part of it is modernity.......who the h*ll wants to eat yucky liver or spleen. Part is that lots of people are convinced that it is bad to eat read meat.
And part of it is that some people have it going out faster than it goes in. My g-ma said that her g-ma used to faint a lot, and she was not of the gentry--peasant farmers all. Me ma had this, me g-ma had this, her mother, and her grandmother and Lord knows how far back.
If you are iron deficient, diet may not be enough to correct the problem. Why do you say iron pills are "too strong"? If you have side effects from the iron, changing the iron product may help. Iron deficiency usually responds to an iron supplement in a few weeks, so it is not like you need to take it for life.
The source of iron loss also needs to be determined. For most women, it is monthly menstrual loss. If your periods are heavy, talk to your gynecologist about doing something to lighten the flow. If your periods are not heavy, or you do not have periods, then your stomach and intestine might need to be checked for sources of bleeding.
This reply caught my attention for the reason that I have been suffering from chronic anemia.. my blood would go as low as 80/60 and I don't know why this is so. Until I read your post, I did get diagnosed a few years back as having a chronic abnormality in my kidneys which the doctor attributed to my constant unexplainable bleeding. Thanks very much for shedding light into my condition.
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