Iron Deficiency
Iron deficiency is one of the most common and clinically significant deficiency diseases. Worldwide, about 30% of the world’s population is affected, with women about five times as likely as men. The most important reasons are malnutrition and increased menstrual bleeding; but chronic intestinal diseases and blood loss due to surgery or injury can also trigger or further worsen iron deficiency.
Increased iron requirements during pregnancy can also lead to iron deficiency. Since the iron absorption of the intestine is limited, a therapy is often difficult and protracted. Iron deficiency can lead to iron deficiency anaemia (anaemia).
In this case the size of the red blood cells decreases and they contain less red blood pigment, so that the oxygen transport capacity of the blood decreases. The symptoms are tiredness, paleness, possibly shortness of breath and palpitations. In addition, there may be rhagades of the corners of the mouth (painful, often inflamed tears of the corners of the mouth), nail and hair changes.
Iron deficiency can be diagnosed by a reduced ferritin level and an increased transferrin level (the former stands for the low iron content, the latter for the high iron requirement). Iron deficiency anaemia is determined in the blood count by the number of red blood cells and the haemoglobin concentration in the blood.Therapeutically, a possible underlying disease leading to the iron deficiency should be treated primarily and a diet should be followed in the long term that ensures a sufficient iron supply. Otherwise, iron can also be administered in the form of tablets or, if this does not lead to success, intravenously.
Food with iron
A risk factor for iron deficiency is a vegan diet. This is due to the fact that many animal foods – especially liver – contain relatively large amounts of iron, which is mainly in the form of heme iron, which is well absorbed. However also many vegan food exhibits a comparable iron content, so that by a conscious selection of iron-rich food also for Veganer an iron deficiency can be prevented.
Among vegetable food with much iron rank kinds of grain like wheat and rye whole grain, oat flakes as well as nuts and white beans. However, it should be noted that the free iron found in plants is particularly sensitive to other foods that inhibit (like tannins) or promote (vitamin C) iron absorption. Depending on requirements and substances that promote or inhibit iron absorption, iron absorption varies between about 4% and 40%.
