Mild forms of anemia may not cause any symptoms. Fatigue, or feeling tired, is a common symptom. This is because the hemoglobin in red blood cells carries oxygen. A lack of oxygen reduces energy. It can cause your heart to work harder to pump oxygen. Anemia can produce other symptoms, such as:. Contact your doctor if you have any of these symptoms. They can diagnose the type and cause of the condition.
Not being able to produce enough red blood cells can happen for several reasons, including diet, pregnancy, disease, and more. Your body may not produce enough red blood cells if you lack certain nutrients. Low iron is a common problem. Infants and toddlers are at risk of getting anemia from a low-iron diet. Not having enough vitamin B12 and folic acid can cause anemia as well. Some foods, like milk, can prevent your body from absorbing iron.
Taking vitamin C can help this. Medicines, such as antacids or prescriptions to reduce acid in your stomach, can affect it as well. People who are pregnant or breastfeeding can get anemia. Children younger than 3 years of age are prone to anemia. Their bodies grow so fast that they can have a hard time getting or keeping enough iron. Normocytic anemia can be congenital from birth or acquired from a disease or infection.
The most common cause of the acquired form is a chronic long-term disease. Examples include kidney disease, cancer , rheumatoid arthritis , and thyroiditis.
Some medicines can cause normocytic anemia, but this is rare. Infection caused by a weakened immune system can lead to anemia. You may be born with a condition that destroys or remove red blood cells. Examples include sickle cell disease, thalassemia , and a lack of certain enzymes.
Having an enlarged or diseased spleen can cause anemia, too. Heavy periods may cause low iron levels in women. Internal bleeding, such as in your digestive or urinary tract, can cause blood loss. This can be caused by conditions such as a stomach ulcer or ulcerative colitis.
Other reasons for blood loss include:. Talk to your doctor if you think you or your child might have anemia. They will do a physical exam and review your health history and symptoms. To diagnose anemia, your doctor will test your blood. This test is called a complete blood count CBC. Based on the results, they may need to do other tests, such as testing your bone marrow. This can help confirm the cause of anemia or another health condition. You cannot avoid anemia caused by a genetic disease.
You often cannot avoid it due to blood loss. If your blood loss is from heavy periods, receiving treatment can help prevent anemia. This can help manage your levels and prevent anemia. A balanced diet can help prevent some types of anemia. Eat foods high in iron to prevent a deficiency. Vitamin C can help your body absorb iron. Try eating foods rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits or juice, peppers, and broccoli.
Some foods can make it harder for your body to absorb iron. These include coffee, tea, milk, egg whites, fiber, and soy protein. Try to avoid these foods if you have iron deficiency anemia.
Overloading the body with iron can be dangerous because excess iron accumulation can damage your liver and cause other complications. Iron deficiency anemia occurs when your body doesn't have enough iron to produce hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the part of red blood cells that gives blood its red color and enables the red blood cells to carry oxygenated blood throughout your body. If you aren't consuming enough iron, or if you're losing too much iron, your body can't produce enough hemoglobin, and iron deficiency anemia will eventually develop.
Mild iron deficiency anemia usually doesn't cause complications. However, left untreated, iron deficiency anemia can become severe and lead to health problems, including the following:.
Your body absorbs more iron from meat than it does from other sources. If you choose to not eat meat, you may need to increase your intake of iron-rich, plant-based foods to absorb the same amount of iron as does someone who eats meat. You can enhance your body's absorption of iron by drinking citrus juice or eating other foods rich in vitamin C at the same time that you eat high-iron foods. Vitamin C in citrus juices, like orange juice, helps your body to better absorb dietary iron.
To prevent iron deficiency anemia in infants, feed your baby breast milk or iron-fortified formula for the first year. Cow's milk isn't a good source of iron for babies and isn't recommended for infants under 1 year. After age 6 months, start feeding your baby iron-fortified cereals or pureed meats at least twice a day to boost iron intake. After one year, be sure children don't drink more than 20 ounces milliliters of milk a day.
Too much milk often takes the place of other foods, including those that are rich in iron. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. If you have low iron levels or iron-deficiency anemia, you may experience the following symptoms:.
Long-term complications of untreated iron-deficiency anemia may include heart problems, higher risk of infections, or issues during pregnancy. Luckily, eating iron-rich foods can help reduce your risk of iron-deficiency anemia. Not all sources of iron are created equally, though.
Animal foods, like red meat, seafood, and poultry, have both types of iron and are better absorbed by the body. Not all people need the same amount of iron. The recommended dietary allowances RDA for iron are different in men and women. For pregnant women, the RDA increases even more, to 27 mg. Post-menopause, the RDA for women drops to 8 mg. While iron intake is likely easier if you eat animal products, as one serving of meat can account for a large part of your RDA, reaching your targets is extremely doable by eating a wide range of plant-based, iron-rich foods.
These are the best foods for anemia. Time to cook up a hamburger—one of the best sources of heme is red meat. A gram serving of lean ground beef contains 2. The heme iron in red meat also increases absorption of nonheme iron from other foods eaten at the same time, like leafy greens.
It may be time to spice up your menu with some organ meats. These oft-overlooked foods, like livers and kidneys, are chock-full of iron.
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