How to Prevent and Heal Anemia Through Diet and Supplements 

Anemia is defined as hemoglobin or red blood cell concentration below two standard deviations of the average physiological needs depending on a person’s age and gender. [1]

Anemia affects about ? of the world’s population [2] and contributes to increased morbidity and mortality, [3-4] decreased work productivity, [5] poorer birth outcomes, [6-7], and impaired behavioral and neurological development in children. [8]

Iron is an integral part of the hemoglobin molecule. Hemoglobin is responsible for transporting oxygen around the body. 

The causes of an iron deficiency vary depending on age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Menstruating women, especially those with heavy or lengthy menstruation, and growing children are most susceptible to iron deficiency. 

Globally, the most common cause of anemia is a deficiency of iron, which can result from insufficient consumption of iron-rich foods, and lack of absorption of iron from the digestive system due to chronic inflammation or disease. Although anemia can also be the cause of:

  • Lack of sufficient red blood cell production — called aplastic anemia, resulting from failed bone marrow development.
  • High rates of red blood cell destruction — often due to viral or bacterial infections, antibiotic or antimalarial medications, or frequent use of paracetamol.
  • Blood loss — often caused by internal bleeding for different reasons.
  • Other vitamin deficiencies that lead to anemia include deficiencies in vitamins C, B12, and folate.

Anemia leads to fatigue, depression, and difficulty breathing upon physical effort.

Treatment involves reversing the cause of the deficiency whenever possible and treating the deficiency by iron supplementation or increasing dietary consumption. 

Iron supplementation is most often given orally, but in some instances, such as when oral iron isn’t well tolerated due to side effects, or during pregnancy with much vomiting, or for people with gastric bypass, or malabsorption, or chronic inflammatory conditions; in such cases, iron may be given intravenously. [9-12]

Iron and other nutrient deficiency anemias can be managed naturally with diet and supplements. 

Here are natural ways to prevent and heal anemia:

Iron supplementation

Oral iron supplementation is one of the most common treatments for iron deficiency anemia. 

Given the global prevalence of iron deficiency, even non-anemic people with iron deficiency should supplement or increase the consumption of iron-rich foods to improve symptoms of iron deficiency.

To increase absorption, you should take iron supplements without food because low gastric pH accelerates iron absorption, [13] and two hours before taking other medications. Vitamin C also supports absorption (I will go deeper into this in a moment).

The intestinal mucosa absorbs iron from heme and non-heme iron food sources. Heme iron, which comes from animal products, is obtained from hemoglobin and myoglobin.

Many people susceptible to iron deficiency may hesitate to shift to a vegan or vegetarian diet, thinking that they will not achieve their iron requirements. However, this is not necessarily true. Many people consuming a meat-rich diet cannot absorb iron very well due to high levels of inflammation in their bodies that block iron absorption. On the one hand, heme iron from animal products is more readily absorbed and not affected by other foods eaten in the same meal. However, high levels of heme iron cause inflammation, and inflammation in the body blocks the absorption of iron.

Regular consumption of foods rich in non-heme iron from plant-based foods will help increase iron levels and prevent inflammation that stops the absorption of iron. Foods that are rich in non-heme iron include green leafy vegetables, iron-fortified whole-grain breakfast cereals, quinoa, beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, cashews, and chia, hemp, flax, pumpkin seeds, kale, dried apricots, figs, raisins.

Research shows no differences in results between supplementation with iron and dietary iron consumption in treating adults with anemia; in children, this was different. Iron supplementation had a better effect on hemoglobin recovery in children. [14-15]

I recommend a gentle iron (bisglycinate) supplement that does not cause constipation.

Vitamin C

Absorption of non-heme iron from the diet is often affected by other foods eaten in the same meal. This is where vitamin C comes in. Vitamin C enhances non-heme iron absorption and can reverse the inhibiting effect of substances in foods that disrupt iron absorption, such as tannins in tea and calcium/phosphate from dairy products, antacids, high fiber foods, and caffeine. 

The enhancement of iron absorption from non-heme food sources is directly proportional to the quantity of vitamin C present in the meal. [16-18]

Therefore, I recommend adding vitamin C-rich foods when consuming iron supplements or non-heme iron-rich foods. Vitamin C-rich fruits include citrus fruits and berries. Vitamin C-rich vegetables include bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower. If you consume an iron supplement, you can eat fruit about half an hour after the supplement to support its absorption. If you are consuming iron-rich foods, add vitamin C-rich vegetables to the meal to enhance absorption.

Protein 

Anemia is also closely associated with protein intake. You can sometimes correct the anemia just by increasing protein intake without any iron supplementation. [19]

This is because protein is needed to produce hemoglobin, which, as mentioned, is the protein that carries oxygen through the bloodstream. Without sufficient hemoglobin, we suffer from inadequate red blood cell production. Researchers found that anemia was highest in people with low protein diets in a sports anemia study. [20] High-protein foods to include regularly in your diet if you suffer from anemia include soy products such as tofu, tempeh, edamame, beans, lentils, peas, seeds, nutritional yeast, and teff. 

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is essential to making red blood cells, which circulate oxygen throughout the body. A deficiency in B12 can cause anemia and nervous system damage. Research shows a significant relationship between vitamin B12 and hemoglobin concentrations. [21]

Since vitamin B12 comes from micro-organisms and is not found in plant-based foods unless they are contaminated, you may take it via subliminal supplementation of 1000-2000 mcg of methylcobalamin, the active form of vitamin B12, once a week. Vitamin B12 fortified foods, some yeast spreads, and certain mushrooms like shiitake have some vitamin B12. [22-23]

It is crucial to maintain healthy levels of vitamin B12 to avoid anemia and nervous system damage and minimize the potential risk of heart disease or pregnancy complications.

Folate (vitamin B9) 

People with too little folate (vitamin B9) in the blood can suffer from folic acid deficiency, presenting symptoms such as persistent fatigue, weakness, pale skin, lethargy, irritability, and shortness of breath. When left untreated, the condition can lead to megaloblastic anemia, which can escalate to nerve damage, digestive tract problems, and neurological issues. Treatment involves taking folate or folic acid supplements and increasing dietary intake of folate-rich foods. Foods high in folate include spinach, broccoli, peas, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, and mushrooms. Fruits that are high in folate include bananas and melons. Typically, oral folic acid supplementation of 1 to 5 mg daily is enough to treat folate deficiency. However, I encourage taking all of the B vitamins together in a B-complex supplement and eating a diet rich in folate-rich foods such as dark green leafy vegetables (including turnip greens, romaine lettuce, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, broccoli), whole grains, legumes, peanuts, peanut butter sunflower, and sesame seeds. [24] 

To conclude

Although anemia is widespread and can severely reduce one’s quality of life, today, there are easy, natural, and cheap ways to prevent this condition and live a life full of energy and vitality with a few small lifestyle changes. 

Feel free to comment below and let me know what you liked best about this article.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I’d be honored if you would share it with your family, friends, and followers by clicking the Like, Tweet, and Share buttons. If you are serious about improving your health no matter what your age or circumstances, and are ready to finally achieve optimal health and lose the weight you’ve been struggling with, then click HERE to check out my online Guerrilla Diet Wholistic Lifestyle Bootcamp for Healthy and Lasting Weight Loss.

If you are not already on my mailing list where you will receive my weekly articles packed with scientifically based health, and nutrition content, as well as many FREE bonuses and special offers, and much more, then click HEREto subscribe.

Thank You, 🙂

Dr. Galit Goldfarb

References:

  • World Health Organization. 2011. Haemoglobin concentrations for the diagnosis of anaemia and assessment of severity Accessed August 4, 2017 http://www.who.int/vmnis/indicators/haemoglobin.pdf.
  • Kassebaum NJ, Jasrasaria R, Naghavi M, et al. 2014. A systematic analysis of global anemia burden from 1990 to 2010. Blood 123: 615–624. 
  • Scott SP, Chen-Edinboro LP, Caulfield LE, et al. 2014. The impact of anemia on child mortality: an updated review. Nutrients 6: 5915–5932. 
  • Black RE, Victora CG, Walker SP, et al. 2013. Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet 382: 427–451.
  • Haas JD & Brownlie T. 2001. Iron deficiency and reduced work capacity: a critical review of the research to determine a causal relationship. J. Nutr 131: 676S–688S; discussion 688S–690S. 
  • Rasmussen K 2001. Is there a causal relationship between iron deficiency or iron-deficiency anemia and weight at birth, length of gestation and perinatal mortality? J. Nutr 131: 590S–603S.
  • Haider BA, Olofin I, Wang M, et al. 2013. Anaemia, prenatal iron use, and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 346: f3443.
  • Walker SP, Wachs TD, Meeks Gardner J, et al. 2007. Child development: risk factors for adverse outcomes in developing countries. Lancet 369: 145–157. 
  • Bregman DB, Morris D, Koch TA, He A, Goodnough LT. Hepcidin levels predict nonresponsiveness to oral iron therapy in patients with iron deficiency anemia. Am J Hematol. 2013 Feb;88(2):97-101.
  • Long B, Koyfman A. Emergency Medicine Evaluation and Management of Anemia. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2018 Aug;36(3):609-630. 
  • Wawer AA, Jennings A, Fairweather-Tait SJ. Iron status in the elderly: A review of recent evidence. Mech Ageing Dev. 2018 Oct;175:55-73.
  • Govindappagari S, Burwick RM. Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Pregnancy with Intravenous versus Oral Iron: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Am J Perinatol. 2019 Mar;36(4):366-376. 
  • Warner MJ, Kamran MT. Iron Deficiency Anemia. [Updated 2021 Aug 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.
  • Silva Neto LGR, Santos Neto JED, Bueno NB, de Oliveira SL, Ataide TDR. Effects of iron supplementation versus dietary iron on the nutritional iron status: Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(16):2553-2561. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2018.1459469. Epub 2018 Apr 30. PMID: 29611716.
  • Houston BL, Hurrie D, Graham J, et al. Efficacy of iron supplementation on fatigue and physical capacity in non-anaemic iron-deficient adults: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. BMJ Open. 2018;8(4):e019240. Published 2018 Apr 5. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019240
  • Lynch SR, Cook JD. Interaction of vitamin C and iron. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1980;355:32-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1980.tb21325.x. PMID: 6940487.
  • Li N, Zhao G, Wu W, et al. The Efficacy and Safety of Vitamin C for Iron Supplementation in Adult Patients With Iron Deficiency Anemia: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(11):e2023644. Published 2020 Nov 2. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.23644
  • Lane DJ, Jansson PJ, Richardson DR. Bonnie and Clyde: Vitamin C and iron are partners in crime in iron deficiency anaemia and its potential role in the elderly. Aging (Albany NY). 2016 May;8(5):1150-2
  • Protein and Hemoglobin Formation, Nutrition Reviews, Volume 2, Issue 2, February 1944, Pages 48–49, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.1944.tb08179.x
  • Shiraki K, Yamada T, Yoshimura H. Relation of protein nutrition to the reduction of red blood cells induced by physical training. Jpn J Physiol. 1977;27(4):413-21. doi: 10.2170/jjphysiol.27.413. PMID: 599737.
  • Krzywa?ski J, Mikulski T, Pokrywka A, et al. Vitamin B12 Status and Optimal Range for Hemoglobin Formation in Elite Athletes. Nutrients. 2020;12(4):1038. Published 2020 Apr 9. doi:10.3390/nu12041038
  • Ankar A, Kumar A. Vitamin B12 Deficiency. [Updated 2021 Jun 7]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-
  • Krzywa?ski J, Mikulski T, Pokrywka A, et al. Vitamin B12 Status and Optimal Range for Hemoglobin Formation in Elite Athletes. Nutrients. 2020;12(4):1038. Published 2020 Apr 9. doi:10.3390/nu12041038
  • Khan KM, Jialal I. Folic Acid Deficiency. [Updated 2021 Sep 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535377/

Comments

Leave A Response

* Denotes Required Field