Anemia

Anemia

You expect to slow down a little as you grow older, but if you’re feeling overly tired, maybe even dizzy or breathless, the cause may be more than natural aging. It could be anemia.

A disorder that your doctor can detect with a single blood test, anemia most often re sults from a shortage of the red pigment in your blood known as hemoglobin. This red pigment helps your red blood cells carry oxygen to your body. If you don’t have enough hemoglobin, your body tissues don’t get enough oxygen. Without enough oxygen, your body reacts in a number of ways: In addition to the symptoms mentioned above, anemia can produce chest pain and rapid heart beat.

While anemia isn’t just an older person’s problem, you are at greater risk if you’re over 60, says Paul E. Stander, M.D., medical director of the Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Phoenix.

Causes of anemia include dietary problems, blood loss or bleeding, or exposure to toxic drugs such as hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), which is prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis. It’s also associated with chronic diseases such as kidney disease, cancer, and certain forms of arthritis or infection, says Dr. Stander.

If you have anemia, you should be treated by a doctor. But meanwhile, there are things you can do to prevent some cases of anemia or supplement your doctor’s treatment.

Try This First

Eat enough protein. Eat two to three servings of protein a day, says Marvin Adner, M.D., director of the division of hematology at the Metro West Medical Center in Framingham, Massachusetts. A serving is as little as two eggs, 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans, or a small piece of meat. Many foods that are high in protein also contain 12, which you need to keep your blood healthy and protect it from anemia. You should get a Daily Value (DV) of 6 micrograms of B₁₂. Foods high in B₁₂ include shellfish and fish.

Other Wise Ways

Go for the greens. Fill your plate with a couple servings of spinach, broccoli, turnip greens, or asparagus. These green vegetables as well as others are loaded with the B vitamin folate, Dr. Adner says. Folate helps make the red blood cells that carry hemoglobin, and if you have anemia, it could be because you aren’t getting enough folate. The DV of folate is 400 micrograms. You’ll get about one-fourth of that amount in 1/2 cup of cooked spinach. Greens aren’t the only sources. Try breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid (the synthetic form of folate) as well as chickpeas, lima beans, beets, and orange juice.

Cover the bases with a multi. Pick up a bottle of multivitamins the next time you are at the pharmacy or supermarket. Find one that offers the DV of most vitamins and minerals, but especially look for 400 micrograms of folic acid and 6 micrograms of vitamin B₁₂. By taking a multivitamin once a day, you’ll ensure that you get the nutrients you need to nourish your blood and help prevent anemia, Dr. Adner says.

Skip your teatime. Both hot tea and iced tea contain tannic acid, which can hinder iron absorption, says Dr. Adner. A glass once in a while won’t hurt, but you shouldn’t use tea as a substitute for water, he says.

Go easy on the iron. When you check out that bottle of multivitamins, remember that you only need 18 milligrams of iron to meet your Recommended Daily Allowance, which you’re probably getting in your diet anyway, says Richard J. Wood, Ph.D., chief of the mineral bioavailability laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. Don’t take iron supplements unless your doctor tells you to.