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Benefits, Deficiency And Iron Rich Food
By Candy Williams
Iron is an essential mineral for life. It is found in the red blood cells of the body and is also needed to produce red blood cells.
Most of the iron in the body is attached to the haemoglobin molecules in red blood cells, thereby transporting oxygen to all the tissues of the body. Haemoglobin is the essential protein found in red blood cells and represents about two thirds of the body's iron. When red blood cells die, the iron in them is recycled in the bone marrow to be used again in new red blood cells.
Myoglobin is the heme-containing protein that is involved in the transport and storage of oxygen.
Purpose of Iron –
#Iron is found in the haemoglobin, a protein inside red blood cells that helps transport oxygen out of the lungs, so that it can be carried to the body parts that require it. Therefore, its main role is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
#Iron assists with the metabolisation process and it is crucial for the body to regulate temperature.
#Iron is part of myoglobin, which helps muscle cells store oxygen. Without enough iron, ATP
(adenosine triphosphate - the fuel the body runs on) cannot be properly synthesized.
#Iron prevents fatigue and promotes good skin tone.
#It increases resistance to stress and disease.
Deficiency of iron –
If the quantity of iron in the body become below normal levels, iron-deficiency anaemia can occur. This is characterized by weakness, tiredness, muscle fatigue, and shortness of breath. In severe cases, a person's skin may become pale due to a lack of red blood cells in the body.
In children, iron deficiency is usually the result of an inadequate iron intake.
In adults, iron deficiency is most commonly due to chronic blood loss, such as during heavy menstruation in women, intestinal bleeding from peptic ulcers, cancer, or hemorrhoids.
Individuals with renal failure, especially those being treated with dialysis, are at high risk of developing iron deficiency anaemia.
Vitamin A helps mobilize iron from its storage sites, so a deficiency of vitamin A restricts the body's ability to use stored iron.
Signs of iron deficiency anaemia –
#Feeling tired and weak
#Difficulty maintaining body temperature
#Insomnia
#Decreased immune function, which increases susceptibility to infection
#Glossitis (an inflamed and sore tongue)
#Eating substances such as dirt, (referred to as pica or geophagia)
Who all need extra iron supplements to prevent a deficiency?
#individuals who tend to lose more iron, such as pre-menopausal women
#people who do not absorb iron normally
#pregnant women
#people who take aspirin
#pre-mature and low birth weight infants
#teenage girls
#women of childbearing age, especially those with heavy menstrual bleeding
#people with renal failure, especially those undergoing routine dialysis
#people with gastrointestinal disorders, who do not absorb iron normally
Recommended Daily Allowance –
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for iron in healthy adults
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