11/21/2018 / By Ralph Flores
Iron is a mineral found in almost every part of the body, especially in the blood. In particular, iron is needed to make hemoglobin in red blood cells, the protein that carries oxygen throughout the body. The body also uses hemoglobin to move carbon dioxide from other part parts of the body to the lungs, where it is exhaled out of the body. In addition, iron is essential to produce certain hormones and connective tissues.
However, for a mineral that provides the body with a lot of benefits, many people are not getting enough of it. Iron deficiency is a cause for concern around the world, especially among children and pregnant women. It’s also one that affects even those in developed countries.
If a person doesn’t have enough iron in his body, he cannot produce the required amount of hemoglobin needed to transfer oxygen into cells and tissues. The lack of oxygen can lead to impaired tissue and muscle function — a condition called anemia. While there are other forms of anemia, iron-deficiency anemia remains to be the most common worldwide.
Some conditions of iron-deficiency anemia include:
The National Institutes of Health recommends women between 19 to 50 years to get around 18 mg of iron a day, and 27 mg per day if they’re pregnant. For men aged 19 and older, the recommended daily allowance is 8 mg. (Related: Iron: An Important Mineral That Performs Many Biological Functions.)
While there are a lot of foods that are rich in iron, it’s best to understand where they come from. Iron has two forms – heme iron, which comes from animal sources, and non-heme iron, which is derived from plant sources. The body, in particular, absorbs heme iron better than non-heme iron.
If you’re looking to get iron from plant-based foods, you would need to consume twice as much iron per day. Adding ascorbic acid (or vitamin C) might help since it can improve the bioavailability of non-heme iron. Conversely, calcium can reduce the bioavailability of both heme and non-heme iron.
Here are some iron-rich foods that you could add to your diet.
Follow Health Tips on Brighteon to learn more about iron-rich foods.
Looking for more ways iron helps our bodies? Visit NaturalCures.news.
Sources include:
Tagged Under: