Guidelines for iron supplementation for anemia people properly

Iron is an important mineral in forming red blood cells, which provide energy for the body’s activities. Anemia is a common condition that shows you are not getting enough iron. This is common in all ages, and all genders, leading to stress, fatigue, headaches, memory loss, … causing many bad consequences for health and spirit. Iron supplementation for people with anemia is the safest and most effective way. Find out more in this article of Solife!

1. Why does iron deficiency lead to anemia?

Anemia is a common condition in life. There are many causes leading to this condition, of which up to 50% is a lack of iron in the body. When the body’s red blood cells are not healthy enough, they will not be able to transport and provide the necessary amount of oxygen to the body. This can cause headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, and other serious illnesses.

Without adequate iron supplementation, it will negatively affect the immune system, affecting blood transport throughout the body, leading to anemia. To supplement iron for people with anemia, it is necessary to apply iron supplements for anemia in a correct and timely manner.

2. How to recognize iron deficiency anemia

Anemia has a very serious impact on human productivity and causes many dangerous complications. Therefore, it is necessary to early recognize and distinguish the status of anemia, to have additional plans for effectiveness. The following are the basic signs to recognize that your body is anemic and needs a large amount of micro-iron:

• A deficiency of red blood cells leads to pale, pale skin, mainly appearing in conspicuous places such as lips, palms, and feet,…
• Tachycardia – This sign appears most commonly in people with anemia due to a lack of iron in the body. Lack of hemoglobin leads to a serious decrease in oxygen transport to muscle tissues, making us feel dizzy,… Iron deficiency for a long time also causes respiratory failure and reduced cardiovascular system function.
• Hair loss, nail peeling. Iron is an important ingredient in keeping hair and nails healthy. When the amount of iron is not provided in full, the function of muscle tissue is also severely reduced. At this time, hair and nails are very vulnerable to damage and weakened due to a lack of nutrients in the blood.
• Causes memory and intelligence impairment. Anemia due to prolonged iron deficiency will affect the memory and thinking ability of people. This sign can easily appear in subjects with special nutrition such as pregnant women and children.
• The immune system is weakened. Iron is not fully supplemented, causing the production of T-Lymphocytes to be delayed. This is because this is the cell that protects the body from bacteria that attack the human immune system. Iron deficiency causes the function of the immune system to be significantly reduced, making it more susceptible to infectious diseases.
• Always feel the body is colder than usual, appearing more in the palms and feet.
• Or there are expressions of liking to eat hard foods, in many cases even eating soil, rocks, ….

3. Iron supplement properly for people with anemia

There are two basic ways for iron to be supplemented for people with anemia safely and effectively.

3.1 Supplementing with foods rich in iron

In the early stages, patients are often advised to adjust their diet to improve iron deficiency. The fortification and supplementation of iron-containing foods is the safest way for each person’s health. You can refer to the following foods for an adjustment plan, as well as to use food effectively:

• Green vegetables: spinach, cauliflower, Swiss Chard/chard, etc.
• Fruits rich in vitamin C: oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, etc.
• Cattle and poultry meat: lamb, chicken, duck, pig, cow, etc.
• Animal liver, heart, etc.
• Seafood such as shrimp, tuna, shellfish, …

3.2 Iron supplementation with oral medications

In addition to iron supplementation through daily nutrition, you can also choose iron supplements for people with anemia , or oral pills in the form of tubes as the treatment method. When using iron supplements for people with anemia , you need to consult experts to know how to use them appropriately and in the right dosage. When using oral medication, you should pay attention to the following:

• Should not take iron and calcium supplements together to maximize absorption.
• Should not combine taking iron pills with thyroid hormone antibiotics, quinolones,…

Read more: Solgar Gentle Iron 25 Mg 90 Tablets

4. Some notes when supplementing iron for people with anemia

4.1 Supplement dosage

Iron supplements with appropriate dosages are of great interest to many people. As recommendedby experts, anemia patients need iron supplements with the following dosage:

• The appropriate dose for anemia patients is about 10-15 mg/day. For pregnant women, it is necessary to supplement from 45-60 mg/day.
• Patients should take the drug for about 6-12 months depending on the body’s condition.

4.2 Time of supplement

Iron supplementation for people with anemia is necessary, but it should be supplemented with a moderate and appropriate amount of time. Waking up in the morning is the best state to absorb iron into the body as quickly as possible. Iron supplements 30 minutes before breakfast is best. However, for those of you with a history of stomach disease, you should not apply this method, because taking the drug on an empty stomach will cause stomach irritation.

4.3 Combination of food and medicine supplements

In order for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia to be optimally effective, experts recommend that anemia patients should combine the use of drugs and maintain an appropriate nutritional diet. Food increases the ability to absorb iron most naturally, while drugs promote metabolism, and compensate for the lack of iron in the human body.

4.4 Consult your doctor before supplementing

Anemia is not a serious disease, but if not examined and treated promptly, it will cause extremely serious consequences. For a suitable treatment regimen, choose reputable medical examinations and treatment centers. From there, determine the cause of anemia to take safe measures. Iron supplementation at the wrong dose and time can easily make anemia much more serious.

Through the content of the above article, Solife’s hope that you will have safe, effective, and reasonable iron supplementation methods for people with anemia . On the other hand, readers also have a lot of useful information about iron micronutrients to take good care of their health.

Read more: What is the function of iron? Is it fine to take iron and vitamin c at the same .

Trần Hoàng Uyên

Trần Hoàng Uyên (Senior Manager Pharmaceutical company) là chuyên gia cấp cao với nhiều năm kinh nghiệm trong lĩnh vực dược phẩm. Tốt nghiệp cử nhân chuyên ngành Quản lý dược I tại Trường Đại học Y dược TP. Hồ Chí Minh và hiện đang công tác tại công ty dược phẩm. Với hơn 10 năm kinh nghiệm làm việc trong ngành dược, chị Hoàng Uyên là chuyên gia cộng tác tham vấn y khoa cho danh mục blog cũng như các nội dung liên quan trên Solife. (Tran Hoang Uyen (Senior Manager Pharmaceutical company) is a senior specialist with many years of experience in the Pharmaceutical field. She graduated Bachelor of Pharmacy Management I at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City and is currently working for a pharmaceutical company. With more than 10 years of experience working in the pharmaceutical industry, Ms. Hoang Uyen is a medical consultant collaborator for content on Solife's website.)