Nutritional Deficiency Anemia: How Is It Caused?

All of you might have heard about the word ‘anemia’. It is a condition that arises due to the deficiency of certain minerals or vitamins in the diet that result in ‘low’ or affected red blood cell (RBC) production. It is a serious condition and affects about half of the women worldwide. It causes fatigue, decreased work capacity, breathlessness, nausea, pallor etc. so how can you say that a person is anemic? It depends on the hemoglobin levels in the blood. Usually, the blood hemoglobin level below 12 g/dl in females and 13 g/dl in males is classified as anemia. Anemia is caused genetically as well as through diet. Here, I will discuss the nutritional causes of anemia; they are IDA or Iron Deficiency Anemia, Folate Deficiency Anemia, and Vit B12 Deficiency anemia.

Iron Deficiency Anemia

It is caused by low dietary intake of Iron or the inability of the body to absorb it. Usually the plant sources have low available iron and animal sources are considered good sources of iron. In IDA, the RBCs become small (microcytic) and faded red.

Symptoms

The symptoms include fatigue, irregular pulse rate, dizziness, pale skin, pica (urge to eat ice), tinnitus etc.

Treatment

anemic patients can eat iron rich foods like GLVs, meat, liver, fresh fruits (guava, pomegranate). Patients with very low Hemoglobin levels are given intravenous treatment. Adding vitamin C in the diet can also enhance iron absorption while taking tea with meals reduces iron absorption as it has flavonoids.

Folate and Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia

It is caused by the deficiency of folate (vitamin B9) and Vitamin B12 in the diet. It is termed as megaloblastic anemia. In case of Vit B12, it is called Pernicious Anemia.

Symptoms

the symptoms are somewhat similar to IDA but other symptoms are, muscle weakness, lack of concentration, depression, paresthesia, sore tongue. It can even have serious complications like Spina Bifida in case of folic acid deficiency, infertility, congenital disorders, stillbirths, low mental ability of the newborn etc.

Treatment

once the things get worse, they can’t be reversed so it is better to prevent them by taking them in the diet. The patient can be given supplements, foods like GLVs, milk, eggs, beef etc.

Prevention is better than cure and prevention comes best in the form of diet. The children and women are most vulnerable group so proper treatment should be given to them. For those who can’t afford iron rich foods, supplemented iron and folic acid tablets should be given. The world can be a happier place if the children and women are healthy and energetic!