The way to get iron is through food.
By:
EFE
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Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in childhood and in many cases can lead to anemia if not treated in time. So, the first thing that should be clear is that iron deficiency and anemia are not the same, says Enrique Villalobos, pediatrician at the Niño Jesús Hospital in Madrid.
Iron deficiency is a low concentration of this mineral in the body, which may not have other consequences, while anemia is considered a blood disease.
This is defined by the decrease in the concentration of hemoglobin in the body, a protein found within red blood cells, responsible for transporting oxygen to tissues. The most frequent cause of this disease is iron deficiency – essential for making hemoglobin – although there are others.
“We can have low iron levels and not necessarily have anemia. In both cases there may be symptoms, but anemia occurs when that iron shortage reaches a higher degree ”, explains EFE.
As he explains, iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in childhood and iron deficiency anemia, the most common blood disease.
Risk factor’s
“There are different risk groups with which you have to be very alert because they have a higher risk of having iron deficiency,” says Villalobos.
The doctor speaks of premature infants, multiple pregnancies, children whose mothers have had a significant iron deficiency during pregnancy, or cases in which there has been bleeding at birth at the level of the uterus or placenta.
As for the causes, he assures that there are three: low iron intake; that even if there is a sufficient contribution, what is necessary is not absorbed; and significant blood loss.
Iron deficiency symptoms
The doctor explains that the symptoms will depend on the speed of onset of this deficit or anemia.
“If it has been established quickly, due to bleeding, we are going to find ourselves in a situation of risk that can even compromise life if the loss of blood has been very important. In these cases there is very low blood pressure and a shortage of volume that make it necessary to replace that blood drastically ”, says Dr. Villalobos.
However, the usual thing is that it is established in a slower, chronic way. In these cases, the most frequent symptoms are tiredness, irritability, problems sleeping, concentrating, and poor school performance.
This problem of lack of iron can manifest itself in the skin – with hair loss – through alterations in the mucous membranes and, even when it is established in a chronic way, in behavior and performance.
Iron deficiency prevention measures
The way to obtain iron, as the doctor points out, is through food.
“In the case of infants, during the first six months of life who are exclusively breastfed, it has been shown that iron supplementation is not necessary. However, once complementary feeding is introduced, we do have to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of iron and other nutrients ”.
Regarding the type of iron present in food, we can find two types: heme iron if it is of animal origin and non-heme iron if it is vegetable.
“In the first group is poultry meat and fish, and in the second, legumes, although the contribution of iron in foods of plant origin is lower”, explains the pediatrician.
However, we must not forget that, in addition to consuming foods rich in this mineral, it is also important to have nutrients that favor its absorption, such as vitamin C, A or folic acid.
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