Managing Nutrition to Benefit Iron Deficient America

Managing Nutrition to Benefit Iron-Deficient Anemia

Iron-Deficient Anemia is considered the most common blood disorder caused by nutritional deficiency in the world. It affects more than 3.5 million people in the United States and over 30% of the world population with it as high as 50% in some underdeveloped regions of the world. Most Iron-deficient anemia can be prevented or treated with proper nutrition. That is why it is important to continuously manage a regular healthy diet is very important. Iron- deficient Anemia is one of the most preventable diseases in the United States according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It is very easy to treat and prevent. It all starts with proper nutrition.

Anemia is described as a condition that forms when your body does not have enough healthy red blood cells due to the lack of hemoglobin. Iron is important because it builds red blood cells, proteins in muscles, and it helps your blood carry oxygen it needs for energy. There are over 400 types of anemia. The most common form and cause of anemia is iron deficiency. This would be from lack of proper nutrition. Other major influencing factors are blood loss, decreased or faulty red blood cell production and by excessive destruction of red blood cells.

Symptoms of anemia allow the disease to progress without most people even realizing that they have it. Low iron can impair body functions, but not until it turns to anemia. Until then the symptoms and physical signs are usually minimal. It can easily go undetermined in many people because the symptoms are so vague people tend to think that they are symptoms of just being tired, overworked, or lack of sleep. True symptoms of anemia are: weakness, fatigue, decreases in work or school performance, slow development in childhood, body temperature variations, immune system impairment leading to susceptibility of infections, and glossitis (inflamed tongue). These symptoms can be easily overlooked. Women, teen girls, children, infants, and people with that are prone to chronic disease are more at risk to having nutritional deficient anemia. Ironically, this segment of the population has the greatest need for iron. Women and teen girls are at a higher risk because of menstruation and dieting habits. Children are at risk because of their rapid growth and their picky eating styles. Infants are at risk if they are kept on an all milk diet past the age of four months. Research has even shown that 40% of infants that are fed only breast milk and not introduced to other sources of nutrition developed iron deficient anemia. People that are prone to chronic disease are at risk because they have restricted diets and are prone to illness where they