Problem of Anemia in Women
January 12, 2009
Anemia is a severe health problem in women. Almost every woman has suffered mild or severe form of anemia in their life. But there are some groups of women who are at higher risk towards suffering from anemia. If you are a growing teenager, pregnant women, breast feeding mother or an elderly lady then you need extra care to protect yourself from anemia.
Anemia is generally a result of iron deficiency in the daily food diet. Iron is an essential requirement for human body. It forms an important part of many proteins and enzymes that helps in effective functioning of the human body. The most important protein, for which human body needs iron, is hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a substance found in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to all the body organs.
Daily iron requirement is more in women than in men. Pregnant women need more iron as they have to take care of both their baby and themselves. It has been found that large number of women as compared to small number of men suffers from anemia. The problem of anemia in non pregnant women in age group of 20-44 years has grown significantly in recent years. Women do not care enough to know whether they are getting sufficient iron from their diet or not.
The symptoms of anemia include tiredness, lack of concentration, weakness, pale skin, heart palpitations and dizziness. If the deficiency of iron continues for longer time then it can lead to less formation of hemoglobin. Due to this fewer red blood cells will be produced and excessive blood cell destruction will occur.
Lack of awareness among women regarding how much iron they should take in their diet is the major cause of this problem. It has been observed that after being diagnosed of anemia some women try to overcome it by taking artificial supplements like high dosed iron pills but again the excess amount of iron in body is harmful for organs like heart, liver and brain. It is best to include natural sources of iron in the diet as they are sufficient to meet daily requirement of the body.
Natural sources of iron include green vegetables, cereals, dried fruits, liver, meat and kidney beans etc. It is best to take some precautions in order to get right amount of the iron from the diet. Always try to include vitamin C rich food like oranges along with iron rich food like green vegetables. If you are taking iron supplements try to avoid tea and coffee. You are advised to consult a doctor in case of complications.
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