IRON

Do we ever wonder why we need to keep a healthy lifestyle? Eat proper healthy food?

Human body needs several nutrients to perform body functions And IRON plays an important role as a mineral in the body. Iron is a mineral which we get it from our daily diet food

that helps the body to grow, develop and perform functions.

There are two types of Iron present in our body or we can say our body needs it:

Heme Iron: It comes from animal sources mainly occurring in oysters, red meat, poultry, beef liver and fish like sardines. Heme Iron absorbs very fastly in the body but excess of heme iron can cause health risks. It does have heme protein naturally attached to Iron.
Non heme Iron: Iron that comes from plant sources mainly occurs in beans, nuts, lentils, greeny-leaves such as spinach and pumpkin seeds. It gets absorbed in the body comparatively slow as of heme iron. But the good part is, it does not cause any health risk while consuming excessively. Also it does not have Heme protein attached to Iron.

Why do we need Iron in our body?

Iron contributes in several functions which leads to good and proper functioning of the body.

Energy provider: Iron is important to various enzymatic functions. The main source of energy is food, our body needs Iron to break down the food and convert it into energy. Iron is a catalytic component of mitochondrial proteins which are responsible for Energy synthesis.
Creation of Hemoglobin, And RBCs: Iron undergoes a heme synthesis process which forms Hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein present in red blood cells which transport oxygen from the lungs to the body (circulation) to maintain body functions. Without this human body will be getting less oxygen which results in severe health complications.
Improves cognitive function (Improve grasping power for acquiring knowledge): Iron plays an important role in cognitive activities including memory, problem solving, concentration and learning. It has been confirmed that the brain will perform best if the body is iron rich. Enough Intake of Iron can totally cut the needs of having a brain boosters.
Keeps immune system strong: Iron is a vital mineral that majorly helps in the formation of cells and it is responsible for cell growth as well. Iron is also necessary for immune cells (white blood cells) proliferation and maturation.
Maintains healthy cell division: Iron is necessary for mitosis, it is a part of the body's cell cycle.
Iron-dependent enzymes: A large number of enzymes require iron as a cofactor for their functions.
Transports the oxygen throughout the body: Iron's main work is to carry oxygen to lungs which is present in hemoglobin of RBCs and transport throughout the body to provide proper nutrients, oxygen to each cell so that they produce energy. Also Iron improves oxygen storage through myoglobin.
Reduce fatigue: A recent study showed that women who took iron supplements experience 48% less fatigue than women who didn’t take them. This study explains why iron is so important, especially for athletes and pregnant women who need to have more energy to function better. [1]
Deficiency of Iron: Deficiency of Iron means, The amount of Iron decreases than normal range in the body. It has several reasons. The regulation of Iron in the body is maintained by the cells of intestines which can increase or decrease Iron absorption as per the need.

What will happen if Iron level decreases?

If the amount of Iron decreases in the body than normal range, the production of red blood cells decreases resulting in Anemia disorders.

Causes:

Causes for decrease in iron level in your body may include:

The deficiency happens due to the excessive loss of blood from the body
Extremely heavy menstrual bleeding
Cancer of esophagus, bowel, stomach or colon.
Esophageal varices
Gastrointestinal bleeding
Peptic ulcer disease
disorders of Iron absorption
Unhealthy lifestyle, unbalanced diet plan.

Symptoms:

How will you know if the iron level in your body has decreased? Well, you may experience the following symptoms:

Fatigue
Poor performance in academics, or sudden dumbness
Difficulty in swallowing
Sore tongue
Lightheaded feelings
Infections
Cold intolerance

Treatments:

Treatments include Iron supplements which can be given orally and intravenously. Also Iron rich foods are available in the market.

Which food items should we add in our daily diet to increase the iron level in our body?

For heme iron:

You may include,

Beef liver
Chicken liver
Clams
Mussels
Oysters
Beef
Canned sardines
Turkey
Chicken
Halibut
Haddock
Perch
Salmon
Tuna
Ham Veal

For non-heme iron:

You may include,

Plant foods contain more nonheme iron.
Enriched cereals
Cooked beans
Tofu
Pumpkin seeds
Canned lima beans
Dried apricots
Baked potato
Broccoli
Nuts (peanuts, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, etc.)
Raisins

Which Indian foods contain iron?

Rice, Dates, Jaggery (Gul), Poha/Flattened rice, Carrots, Spinach, Vegetables.

Along with all these products make sure to take some vitamin C high products like citrus fruits (like lemon, orange, etc.).Vitamin C helps the body to absorb iron more effectively in a short span.