Anemia: A Nutritional Approach

Posted: Friday, 11 May 2012 by Strength&Nutrition24/7 in Labels: , , ,
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This is just a bit of an intro to a future article on how to deal with anemia from a nutritional standpoint.

Over 2 billion people worldwide suffer from anemia with most people having not been diagnosed. This health problem is typically found in women. It is so common and significant in women that on average women have 10% lower blood volume then males; this is purely due to anemia. This issue is so significant and affects the daily lives of so many (symptoms):

  • Fatigue
  • Organs not functioning properly
  • weakness
  • twitching, flinching
  • restless legs syndrome
  • pale skin
  • tongue problems 
  • reduced amounts of saliva
  • brittle nails 
  • Pica desire to eat non food items
  • Headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, shortness of breath, and loss of consciousness
  • Rapid heartbeat and chest pain




Anemia literally means without blood. As everyone knows, blood is essential for life and interestingly enough this name is appropriate. This health issue is associated with a plethora of health problems and includes a reduced life expectancy, decreased ability to live independently, increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, and worsening dementia. This issue can be due to serious diseases such as cancer or nutritional deficiencies (which will be the emphasis of the future articles on this topic). This disease gone unrecognized or left untreated can have significant and serious consequences, including death. Fortunately, most cases of anemia are treatable and reversible in a timely manner.

What is anemia?

  • A condition when red blood cell count is below normal
  • A reduction in total circulating red blood cell mass, diagnosed by a decrease in hemoglobin concentration 
  • A hemoglobin level below 12g/dl in women or 13 g/dl men
  • Any condition resulting from a significant decrease in total erythrocyte mass
  • Any condition characterized by an abnormal decrease in the body’s total red blood cell mass
  • A decreased ability of the red blood cells to provide adequate oxygen supplies to body tissues
  • A decrease in the circulating red blood cell mass and a corresponding decrease in the oxygen carrying capacity 
  • And so on, this is only about a quarter of how anemia is defined  


1 comments:

  1. Critical illness cover says:
    11 August 2012 at 01:01

    Use vitamins ad over the counter products to treat anemia and improve the quality of life... Anemia is epidemic in such countries as India, Vietnam and Bangladesh. Although anemia is epidemic among the people of impoverished countries it is also quite common in the United States.

    Critical illness cover