Deficiency of folate, another B vitamin, can also cause anemia in pregnant females (who need extra folate for the developing fetus), in alcoholics, and in elderly people.
Relatively rare types of anemias include thalassemia, and inherited disorder, and aplastic anemia, which may be caused by infection, exposure to toxic chemicals or radiation, or genetic disorder.
How much iron do you need?
The human body recycles iron to make new red blood cells. Even so, the body loses an average of 1 mg for men and 1.5 mg for women during reproductive years. The body absorbs only a small percentage of dietary iron, so the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) calls for consuming more iron than what is lost: 8 mg a day for men and postmenopausal women; 18 mg for women under 50; 27 mg for pregnant women.
Those who have nutrition-related anemias can benefit from a session with a registered dietitian or qualified nutritionist to help structure a more healthful diet. The best sources for iron are animal products-meat, fish, poultry, and egg yolks. The body absorbs much more of the heme iron found in these foods than the nonheme iron from plant sources, such as green leafy vegetables, dried fruits, soy and other legumes, nuts, seeds, and iron-enriched breads and cereals. Strict vegetarians or people who rely heavily on plant food to get iron must increase their intake of these foods since the body poorly absorbs them. Adding a vitamin C-rich food to a plant-based meal can enhance the body’s absorption of nonheme iron. Heme iron also promotes the absorption of nonheme iron from other foods when eaten at the same meal.
Watch out for the natural compounds in tea, called tannins. They can bind with iron and make it unavailable for absorption. It is best to drink your tea between meals rather than during meals. Oxalates found in spinach, rhubarb, Swiss chard, and chocolate as well as phytates found in nuts, some greens, and bran cereal can bind with iron and prevent the body from using it.
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