Tag: iron deficiency anemia

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How to Raise Iron Levels Quickly?

raise iron levels

Iron is an important nutrient responsible for the production of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin transports oxygen through the bloodstream via red blood cells.  This allows for regular organ functions and physical activity.

Iron deficiency lowers the production of hemoglobin which in turn transports less oxygen to the bloodstream. B12 and Iron deficiency cause anemia, which can be mild, moderate, or even severe. Mild to moderate anemia may not require hospitalization, but they do disrupt your life by causing fatigue. This leads many to wonder how they can raise iron levels quickly.

Understanding Iron

Before learning how to produce more iron quickly, it’s important to understand its role and the signs to look for indicating a need for increasing iron levels.

Iron is a complex nutrient that requires B12 and vitamin C to properly metabolize in humans. This means that stable iron levels achieved through nutrition require paying attention to other nutrients as well.

Most people can get adequate iron from their diets.  In cases where the diet is not enough, drugs or blood transfusions might be necessary.

However, while too little iron is dangerous, heightened iron levels lead to hemochromatosis.

iron in blood

Understanding Anemia

Low iron levels manifest in fatigue, weakness, and paler skin (than your usual healthy skin tone). At this stage concentration and other regular functions are disrupted. If you find your breathing is labored, and that your lips and fingernails are always blue, it may be the time to see a doctor.

Anemia and low iron levels are linked because a patient with anemia has too few red blood cells or hemoglobin. Raising iron levels can reverse adverse anemic symptoms depending on a patient’s medical history.

There are different types of anemia, though the most common and the one that raising iron levels resolve is Iron Deficiency Anemia.

So, How do I Raise Iron Levels Quickly?

If you determine you have an iron deficiency, there are several things you can do. Depending on the cause of anemia, the first approach should be a change in your diet. Following changes to your nutrition, it may be necessary to get a blood test and pursue further steps.

Diet

In cases of minor anemia, it can take 2-4 weeks to reverse the symptoms of anemia. While most people can get iron through their diets, vegetarians and vegans may have to be more intentional about ensuring they get enough iron and b12 in their diets.

Focus on iron-rich foods such as:

  • Leafy Greens (which are also often rich in Vitamin C)
  • Fortified cereals (look for ones that have B12 and Iron)
  • Apricots
  • Prunes and Raisins
  • Red Meat or Iron enriched meat substitutes
  • Tofu
  • Enriched Rice

Combine these iron-rich foods with peppers, eggs, tomatoes, and beans (or all of the above!) for a meal with iron and necessary B12 and Vitamin C.

Supplements

Oral supplements are a popular way to augment your diet when levels are low. There are traditional oral iron supplements, though they do risk hemochromatosis when taken with increased dietary iron levels. In addition, most of them can cause various side effects in the digestive system, like constipation, diarrhea, and nausea.

Other supplements include ones that affect metabolization. IronCatch supplement is iron-free but increases absorption of dietary iron. This reduces the risk of side effects and hemochromatosis while still raising iron levels quickly.

Appropriate Iron Levels are Required for Daily Function

Whether it’s increasing absorption from your diet, or taking a supplement, it’s important to know your body and see a doctor before pursuing oral supplements or injections.

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What Are the Causes of Poor Absorption of Iron?

Poor Absorption of Iron

“Why are you looking so pale?” – are you tired of being asked this question by whoever you meet these days? It’s time for you to go for a hemoglobin test. The one major reason behind noticeable paleness can be poor absorption of iron by your body.

But worry not! It’s a common condition. Despite making all the healthy lifestyle choices, many people suffer from this disorder, which is known as iron deficiency anemia in medical parlance. If you’re diagnosed with this blood disorder, you will have to undergo proper treatment and need to be careful about your diet to get back to the normal condition. 

Before going into the treatment options, let us tell you about the factors that cause this disorder.

Poor Absorption of Iron by Your Body

  • Malabsorption of iron is one of the major reasons behind iron deficiency anemia. Your body may fail to absorb a sufficient amount of nutrients from your food for several reasons.
  • As for iron, human systems are not made to collect iron directly from the consumed food. Your small intestine plays a vital role in absorbing iron and pumping it into your bloodstream, as Celiac diseases affect the intestine’s ability to take in iron from digested food.
  • Some people have their small intestines removed surgically. For example, in gastric bypass surgery, some parts of the intestine are removed. This interferes with this organ’s iron absorption capacity.
  • The use of medicines used to lower stomach acid for a prolonged period can also affect your body’s ability to absorb iron.
low iron diet

Other Causes

However, low absorption of iron is not the only factor leading to iron deficiency anemia. Here are some of the important reasons.

Low-iron diet

Depending on your age and gender, your body requires a certain amount of iron every day. Your body fulfills these needs from the food you eat. However, if your food contains too little iron content, you will experience an iron deficiency in the long run. Add plenty of leafy green vegetables and iron-rich fruits to your diet. Know about the Top 5 fruits with high iron levels here.

Injuries and blood loss

If your body suddenly loses a lot of blood through accident or other conditions such as peptic ulcer, uterine fibroids, hernia, or colon polyps, you can suffer from iron deficiency anemia. 

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, you are in the need of extra iron to support the growth of the baby. If your system does not get that extra amount of iron from food sources or supplements, you may become iron deficient.

Heavy period

It is common for women who have heavy periods to suffer from iron deficiency.

Treatment

Blood deficiency anemia is a treatable condition. The treatment begins with determining the cause of anemia. Accordingly, the measures are prescribed to prevent further loss of iron. Iron supplements are the traditional method to treat anemia, but their long-term use is not recommended. 

IronCatch, on the other hand, is a breakthrough method, widely used in treating anemia. especially the version caused by poor absorption of iron. This supplement with a proprietary formulation can accelerate iron absorption from your daily diet by up to five times.  And it does that without any side effects. If you are suffering from iron deficiency anemia, try this wonder supplement – it’s safe and effective.

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What Are the 5 Stages of Iron Deficiency Anaemia?

5 stages of iron deficiency

Did you know that 33% of the world’s population suffers from anemia? In 50% of cases, the primary cause is iron deficiency. As you can understand from its name, this condition occurs when a person lacks the required amount of iron in his/her body. From low intake of iron-rich food items to blood loss through menstruation, various factors can cause this nutritional deficiency. The body’s inability to absorb iron is one of the major causes of this disorder.

Iron Deficiency Develops Through Five Stages

From mild to severe, the deficiency progresses step by step and not abruptly. Hence, if you are aware of the specific symptoms of each different phase, it will be possible for you to address the deficiency at the earliest.

Stage One – Depletion of Iron Storage

The early-stage deficiency occurs when your body starts “asking” for more iron than what you consume. A persistent mismatch between demand and supply leads to the depletion of the iron that is stored in the bone marrow.

As the body starts losing its stored iron, it starts absorbing more dietary iron to compensate for this loss.

A lab taste during this stage may show the hemoglobin (Hb) and serum iron to be at a normal level, but the serum ferritin level is expected to fall below a level of less than 20 ng/mL. With this condition leading to sharp compensatory iron absorption, there will be a rise in transferrin level.

At this stage, the body still has enough iron to fight the progressive depletion. Anemia does not set in yet, although the affected person is at risk of developing the same.

Stage Two – Mild Deficiency Sets In

This stage is characterized by a drop in the level of transfer iron or Transferrin. Though the transferrin level rises in the depletion stage,  during the second stage of iron deficiency, transferrin saturation decreases. Hemoglobin level is still not affected but red blood cells start shrinking in size during this stage.

Stage Three – Anemia Develops

Anemia is a condition characterized by an alarmingly low level of hemoglobin. This is the stage when the hemoglobin level starts to decrease rapidly.

Stage Four – Microcytosis and Then Hypochromia Develop.

Microcytosis does not only cause your body to have lesser red blood cells but also the blood cells are smaller in size. On the other hand, due to Hypochromia, the red blood cells start losing oxygen-carrying pigments and the blood starts looking colorless.

Stage Five – Severe Hemoglobin Deficiency

In the last stage of its progression, iron deficiency is at its most severe form, causing hemoglobin to drop drastically. With blood cells becoming fewer, smaller and carrying a smaller number of hemoglobins, this causes severe anemia.

Anemia manifests itself through a variety of symptoms include pallor, extreme fatigue and weakness, loss of energy, lack of interest, nagging headaches, and compromised immunity.

iron deficiency anemia

People often take iron supplements to deal with iron deficiency. They may be helpful in increasing the supply of iron in your body, but not without side effects. What if you could find a solution that is iron-free? IronCatch is a supplement that is free of iron and as a result free of any side effects. Its formula is designed to bolster your body’s capacity to absorb iron from natural food. People who used IronCatch testified to have seen a remarkable improvement in their energy level within two weeks of taking this supplement.

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Iron Deficiency in Athletes – Causes and Treatment

sport and iron deficiency

Sportspersons, to us, are synonymous with health and vitality. They are the epitome of energy. On the other hand, iron deficiency, to laymen, is often the taxonomy for a person with poor physical health. Because of this perception, it’s difficult for us to put ‘iron deficiency’ and ‘athletes’ into the same bracket. Even though it’s hard to believe, sportspersons, especially runners, are more susceptible to this deficiency.  According to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 50 percent of female endurance athletes are deficient in iron, while for men, this value is estimated at 17 percent. 

Some athletes are particularly susceptible to suffering from an iron deficiency. They include:

  • Female athletes, particularly in the menstruating age group
  • Athletes who are on a purely vegetarian diet
  • Athletes with low energy intake 
  • Adolescent athletes 

Iron deficiency can be a serious threat to the career of an endurance sportsperson. If it remains untreated for a long time, it leads to severe fatigue. Iron-deficient athletes get easily exhausted, and gradually they start losing the motivation to practice harder or perform better. Hence, it’s important to know why athletes suffer from iron deficiency.

What causes iron deficiency in athletes?

When everyone loses iron through sweat, urine, menstruation, and the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, for athletes, the rate of loss is much higher. Any high-intensity, high-endurance exercise increases the rate of iron losses by nearly 70%. These physical activities destroy red blood cells, especially in the areas near feet, resulting in a shorter red blood cell life span.

Female athletes are even more susceptible to the iron deficiency than their male counterparts due to their menstrual blood loss.

Insufficient dietary iron intake is another reason for iron deficiency. The human body is not very effective at absorbing dietary iron. Those on a vegetarian or vegan diet are more at risk of becoming iron deficient, as the body is even slower in absorbing non-heme iron found in plants. 

Iron Deficiency in Athletes

Treatment for Iron Deficiency

Fortunately, there are ways to deal with iron deficiency, and all treatment regimens aim at increasing the iron intake into the body. Oral supplements can significantly help you meet the iron deficiency in your body. In more severe cases, intramuscular or intravenous injections are used to provide your body with more iron. On top of all these, iron-deficient athletes are advised to consume iron-fortified products or naturally iron-rich products as part of their daily diet. Thus, dietary enhancement remains the fundamental strategy in iron deficiency treatment.

How About Embracing an All-Natural Solution?

While ingesting oral supplements is an important first step towards fighting iron deficiency, it has its side effects. At IronCatch, we have innovated a side-effect-free supplement that is better tolerated than any standard variety. Composed of all-natural ingredients like fish oligosaccharides, vitamins, and minerals, our gluten-free formulation provides athletes with a reliable way to address their symptoms at the root. IronCatch happens to be the first iron-free formulation to deal with iron deficiency. This food supplement can elevate the iron levels in the body by increasing the absorption of dietary iron by at least 3-5 times. It also profoundly increases the absorption rate of this metal from everyday food consumption.

Get in touch with our consultants to know more about our clinically proven supplements because no disease should hinder your goals.

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Low Red Blood Cells? Find Out If You Have Anemia

iron-deficiency

The most common reason of anemia is iron deficiency. Iron is a vital micro element in human body that is responsible for the formation of hemoglobin. It is a protein that carries oxygen to all parts of the body. About one third of iron is stored as hemosiderin and ferritin in spleen, bone marrow and the liver.

iron-deficiency

When someone develops anemia, the person is said to be anemic and is usually more tired, cold and looks pale. There can be different reasons what causes anemia but each of them causes a drop in the circulation of red blood cells. It can happen because any of the following reasons –

  • the body fails to produce enough hemoglobin
  • the body is producing the protein but cannot work properly
  • there is low red blood cells count in the body
  • the body breaks down the RBC is too fast

How common is anemia?

More than 2 billion people in the world, which is approximately 30% of the total population, suffers from anemia. It is more common in countries that have fewer resources. More than 3 million Americans are estimated to suffer from this disorder.

Who can be affected?

The truth is, anyone can suffer from iron deficiency. But iron deficiency anemia can affect the following people the most –

  • Women – because monthly menstruation often cause excessive blood loss. The condition can worsen if she has a condition like fibroids  Children – kids below 2 years of age need iron for their growth so any less intake can cause the condition
  • People over 65 – they are like to suffer from iron poor diet and for them it can even lead to a chronic condition
  • People living on blood thinners such as aspirin can have the deficiency of iron

Signs and symptoms

Most common symptoms of iron anemia deficiency includes but not limited to –

  • headache
  • dizziness or constant weakness
  • dry skin, paleness or bruises on skin
  • restless leg syndrome
  • fast heartbeat

Decreased absorption of food

This is one of the main reasons for iron deficiency. For people whose diet do not include heme iron is one of the major reasons for iron deficiency anemia. Heme iron can be absorbed more effectively than the non-heme iron which are available in plant based foods. Although Vitamin C and B12, zinc and folate can help in facilitating non heme absorption, you have to be careful about your diet chart which actually interfere with the iron absorption rate.

Proton pump inhibitors, antacids, calcium supplements have been studied to inhibit iron absorption in the body.

How is it diagnosed and detected?

Normally, there are tests that check the hemoglobin amount in the body. Hematocrit provides the percentage measure of the RBC in the blood which indicates the amount of iron reserve in the body. It also helps to understand the iron binding capacity. There are some tests which is used to calculate transferrin iron saturation which is a measure of the iron in the transit in the serum.

Sometimes a complete blood count, zinc protoporphyrin, reticulocyte hemoglobin content are done to test and diagnose the body condition.

Treatment

Treating iron anemia deficiency can have different approaches depending on the condition and the threat of anemia. There can be an increased demand if you are in a growing spurt or are pregnant. If you have any blood loss condition such as heavy periods or elaborate surgeries, the interference with iron absorption will be different. For some, the approaches can be as simple as change in the diet while for others there can be a need to take iron supplements.

If you suspect you have iron deficit, take the help of a medical professional. Iron catch is one of the top iron supplements which are made from various vitamins and minerals and fish oligosaccharides that can help to promote normal iron absorption. With the first iron free iron deficiency solution, you can get improved iron absorption rate in the body. People reported fast and effective results within a month of consumption. Although there is no stated side effects like any other typical iron supplement, you should speak to your health care provider before taking it regularly.