Iron (Fe) plays an important role in our body. This is one of the most important trace elements, because it takes part in the process of blood formation, supports immunity, and is also part of hormones and various enzymes. Unfortunately, iron deficiency affects about 30% of the total population of planet Earth. In addition, there is another question that is worth attention: why iron is not absorbed? Let's try to figure it out.
Need for iron
Why is iron poorly absorbed? Iron is not synthesized in our body, and therefore, for full-fledged work, it needs to be supplied from the external environment. And if this trace element is not enough, a person may feel a deterioration in well-being. So why do we actually need iron and how to understand that it is missing? This and some other topic will be discussed in the topic of this article.
In our body, almost any substance fulfills its obligations, and iron is no exception. Regardless of gender, social status or any other factor, it is important to maintain its quantity so that later you do not have to wonder why iron is not absorbed in the body of a woman or man. The main functions of iron are as follows:
- Transport oxygen. As everyone knows, red blood cells in the blood are made up of hemoglobin protein, which is based on iron. This protein has the ability to enter into a reversible reaction with oxygen, carrying it from the lungs through the circulatory system to other organs and tissues. And so that vital biochemical processes take place in them, O 2 is just needed. The carbon dioxide formed in this process takes hemoglobin back, and through the lungs the gas leaves the body.
- It takes part in the synthesis of proteins and other necessary enzymes. It is about creating DNA, destroying liver toxins, and producing blood cells. Not only the composition of the plasma, but also the number of leukocytes depends on the amount of iron in the body. And they, as you know, are our protectors from uninvited guests.
- Hormone production. Ferrum is actively involved in the formation of thyroid hormones. With their help, with the support of the nervous and immune systems, the brain, heart, kidneys and other organs are regulated.
Before you understand why iron is not absorbed in the body, it is worth knowing the normal indicators. For women it is 18 mcg, for the male half of humanity - 10 mcg. In relation to pregnant women, this number doubles, since expectant mothers during this period undergo cardinal changes.
As a result, the blood is diluted, the hemoglobin level decreases. The body begins to search for the trace element it needs in its reserves - muscle tissue, bone marrow, liver. As a result, fatigue appears, the risk of catching an infection increases, the nervous system is depleted.
Symptoms of iron deficiency
Why is iron not absorbed in the body of a man or woman? Some believe that iron deficiency in the body and anemia are related concepts. In reality, this is not the same thing. Anemia is more likely a consequence of a lack of iron. In this case, this condition can manifest itself in different ways. There are two types of symptoms: latent and hidden. The first type of signs include:
- Efficiency is markedly reduced.
- Chronic fatigue.
- Pale skin tone.
- Frequent headache.
- Memory is deteriorating, the thought process is slower.
- Sleep problems.
- Respiratory diseases appear with frequent intervals.
- Visual impairment.
With these signs, the amount of iron in the body is moderately reduced. But at the same time, the substance supplied with the products is not enough, and the body begins to use internal reserves. It is important to take care of your health in a timely manner, otherwise there will already be other signs that iron is poorly absorbed in the body (why this happens, read below):
- Dizziness and fainting. Due to the reduced hemoglobin level, oxygen starvation occurs. This leads to darkening in the eyes, if you dramatically change the position of the body or physical effort, in a stuffy or poorly ventilated room.
- The appearance of shortness of breath on the background of a rapid heartbeat. Due to the decrease in oxygen supplied to internal organs, the functionality of the cardiovascular system is markedly reduced.
- Loss of weight and appetite, and in a sharp form. This is due to metabolic disorders, which causes an aggravation of the disease.
- Efficiency decreases sharply, weakness appears, it becomes increasingly difficult for patients to do physical work, and any due to muscle weakness. And during labor, shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness occur.
- Low hemoglobin is the surest symptom of anemia. Using a conventional blood test, you can not only establish a lack of iron, but also assess the severity of the disease.
Moreover, the digestive system is also affected, which is accompanied by belching, heartburn, constipation, bloating.
In addition, immunity is markedly reduced, and due to hormonal disorders in the body, the risk of developing serious inflammatory processes increases. Hair and nails grow poorly, while the latter can be deformed by acquiring a spoon-like shape.
Why is this happening? Why is iron not absorbed in the body of a woman or man?
There is a reason for everything
As you know, any disease or any other problem in the body does not appear just like that, and there is a definite reason for this. Iron deficiency is no exception. Although there is one oddity - after all, the daily need for this necessary trace element is some 3-5 grams. Yes, and iron is contained in many products on our table.
However, a lack of ferrum is still present. At the same time, all the reasons why iron is not absorbed in the body are based on two main factors: a large consumption of iron or its insufficient intake in the body. Let's analyze them in a little more detail.
High flow rate
The main cause of iron deficiency is high consumption. And sadly, it is women who are more likely to be affected by this problem than men. And all because of the menstrual cycle. During only one menstruation, the body loses up to 80 ml of blood. And if there are still dysfunctional disorders that are associated with diseases of the organs of the reproductive system, uterine bleeding may appear.
However, blood loss can be a purely mechanical and human factor. True, for the most part this applies to special cases (curettage, abortion, childbirth). In this case, blood vessels are damaged, which also causes bleeding.
However, a person may have blood loss irrespective of gender due to a disease of the stomach or intestines, during the behavior of operations, as a result of serious injury. In addition, donors who donate blood too often are exposed to iron deficiency.
Another reason why iron is not absorbed in terms of its high consumption, again relates directly to the female half of humanity. We are talking about physiological processes, which include:
- pregnancy;
- lactation period;
- development and growth of the female body;
- puberty.
Breastfeeding is especially worth a lot of attention here. The fact is that all the most necessary nutrients, including iron, are passed on to the baby with breast milk. Moreover, its amount may decrease markedly, and if you do not make up for losses, health may be at risk.
Low delivery quantity
Unfortunately, as noted above, our body cannot produce iron, and it has to be mined from the outside. And its main source is food. Moreover, it is desirable that elements such as copper, cobalt, manganese, ascorbic acid are present, which helps us better absorb iron. But an excess of calcium, on the contrary, disrupts this process.
Why is iron not absorbed in the blood in this case? There are good reasons for this:
- Vegetarian diet.
- Gastritis or increased acidity of the stomach, which is why nutrients are poorly absorbed.
- Climax
- Lack of vitamins C, B 12 , folic acid.
- Too much vitamin E, zinc, phosphorus, calcium, oxalates.
- Parasites that take themselves all the most useful and necessary.
In addition to the above, iron deficiency in the body can result in poisoning by poisons for industrial or domestic purposes. And in order to neutralize them, the liver produces special enzymes, which is simply impossible without this element.
What could be the consequences?
Iron deficiency does not end with weakness, decreased performance, and frequent colds. The problem affects the internal organs. The work of the thyroid gland is significantly impaired, the production of bone marrow, hormones and some substances is reduced. Oxygen starvation leads to brain problems, the cardiovascular system begins to malfunction.
But this is not all the complications. The appearance of a person is also changing. The skin is dried, wrinkled, diseases of the upper respiratory tract appear. In addition, due to metabolic disorders, a person is gaining excess weight.
But a more serious threat is iron deficiency in children and pregnant women. Anemia can cause problems with internal organs. But if the iron was not enough for the future mother, then this threatens more serious complications. There is a high risk of having children with a defect or mental or mental retardation.
Why is iron not absorbed in the body of the baby?
Signs of anemia can appear not only in adults, but also in infants. And if the obvious symptoms alarms the parents, forcing them to seek medical help, then with hidden signs it is not so simple. Moms and dads are simply not able to understand why suddenly their baby became lethargic, pale and inactive.
In this case, it is better to take a blood test. And if the disease is present, it will be detected. The amount of hemoglobin in a child changes as he grows older:
- 24 hours after birth - 130-145 g / l;
- 2-14 days - 120-130 g / l;
- 14-28 days - 110-120 g / l;
- From 1 month to six years of age - up to 110 g / l.
If the analysis figures are different from the above, the forecast is not very comforting. What could be causing this? The reasons why the child does not absorb iron can be as follows:
- Anemia in the mother during the period of bearing a child.
- Circulatory disturbance of the placenta.
- Injury during childbirth with great blood loss.
- Intestinal diseases of an infectious nature.
- The rapid growth of the baby during the first months of his life.
- A lean diet for iron in infant nutrition.
- Prematurity.
While the child is still in the womb, his body is stocked with iron, most of it concentrated in red blood cells, while in the muscles there are few of them. But after the baby is born during the entire period of breastfeeding, this stock is spent for six months. At this point, you need to replenish the iron with complementary foods.
What can be done?
Before starting treatment, it is necessary to find out the reason why iron is not absorbed, and only after that go directly to therapy. Otherwise, the effectiveness of the treatment will be temporary, and after a while everything will happen again. But if the causes have been identified and eliminated, you can proceed to treatment, which can be carried out in several ways:
- Pharmacotherapy.
- Reception of dietary supplements.
- Diet therapy.
There is also an effective blood transfusion procedure. However, it is used in rare cases when there is a threat to the patient's life.
Pharmacotherapy
The basis of treatment is taking drugs of two groups: saline with ferrous iron and non-saline with ferric iron. The first category includes ferrous sulfate, ferric chloride, ferrous fumarate and the like. Active substances are able to penetrate the intestinal mucosa, and then into the bloodstream. There, the compound is converted into a trivalent form and combined with ferritin and transferritin and in this form is used for the needs of the body.
However, solving the problem of why iron is not absorbed, in some cases, salt preparations can cause side effects (heartburn, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation). Everything else, they begin to interact with food, which makes their absorption difficult.
The non-salt group refers to a new generation of drugs. They are also absorbed from the intestines into the blood. The toxicity of these drugs is minimal. In addition, they do not interact with food, so they can be used for food.
Dietary supplements
Usually, the treatment of anemia is complex, and in addition to taking the main drugs, additional substances are prescribed that improve the metabolism and synthesis of blood cells. These are nutritional supplements that include the easily digestible form of iron: iron gluconate, iron fumarate, peptonate and iron citrate.
It is only worth considering that dietary supplements are effective only in combination with medications prescribed by a specialist. Separately, they can be used for prevention, but no more. With intolerance to the individual components, these agents can cause side effects.
Diet therapy
In addition to taking drugs, it is possible to solve the problem of why iron is not absorbed during the use of those foods that are rich in this mineral. Nutritionists have long compiled a list of what should be included in your diet during treatment or prevention. Most iron (3.5 mg or more per 100 g) is found in beef, chicken liver, sesame, beans, pumpkin seeds.
Products with a slightly lower iron content, but still in sufficient quantity (1-2 mg per 100 g), are red beans, sardines, baked potatoes, turkey, boiled chicken breast, spinach, green pepper.
But it is better to refrain from tea and coffee in the presence of anemia, since the absorption of iron is significantly difficult. The same applies to long-frying foods.