Due to this fast-paced modern lifestyle and uncontrolled eating habits, anemia i.e. lack of blood in the body has become a very common and serious problem. Especially in women, girls and aging children, continuously falling hemoglobin level is becoming a matter of concern. Doctors or health experts often recommend taking iron supplements i.e. iron tablets to overcome iron deficiency in the body. Many people take iron tablets regularly for a long time, yet when they get their blood tested their hemoglobin levels remain the same or increase very slightly. If you are facing a similar problem and the anemia is not getting resolved even after consuming iron, then surely you are making some unknowing mistakes in your daily routine or eating habits which are not allowing the iron to be digested in your body. Let us know in detail about the main reasons and mistakes due to which iron tablets prove ineffective.
Many people have a habit of consuming a cup of hot tea, coffee or milk immediately after taking iron tablets in the morning or at night. If you also do the same, then this one small habit of yours is ruining all your efforts. Calcium is found in abundance in milk, while elements like tannins and polyphenols are present in tea and coffee. Scientific and medical research shows that both calcium and tannin completely block the process of iron absorption in the intestines. This means that no matter how expensive iron pills you take, if you are taking them with milk or caffeinated beverages, the body's digestive system will not be able to absorb the iron and it will be released from the body without any benefit.
Many people do not know that just taking iron tablets is not enough, but the body also needs another nutrient i.e. Vitamin C to utilize that iron. If there is a severe deficiency of Vitamin C in your body, then whatever iron supplements you are taking are not able to reach the blood cells properly. Doctors suggest that iron tablets should always be taken with citrus fruits like lemon water, orange, seasonal or amla juice. Vitamin C enters the body and converts iron molecules into such a form that our digestive system can easily absorb and convert it into red blood cells i.e. hemoglobin. Therefore, increasing the amount of Vitamin C in your diet is very important to double the effect of iron.
Often people start taking iron pills by purchasing them from a medical store without any doctor's advice, due to which many times taking the wrong dose or at the wrong time does not give the desired results. Apart from this, if you have chronic acidity, constipation, IBS or any other intestinal problem, the iron consumed may not be absorbed properly in the body. Many people take antacid or gas tablets to reduce acidity, and also swallow iron tablets along with them. Antacid medicines reduce stomach acid, while iron requires a sufficiently acidic environment in the stomach to be digested. Because of this also all your efforts to increase hemoglobin fail.
Eating fiber-rich foods is good for staying healthy, but excessive amounts of indigestible fiber or foods rich in phytates (such as certain grains and soy products) can form a complex with iron that the body cannot digest. Apart from this, many people complain of stomach pain, nausea or constipation due to taking iron tablets on an empty stomach, due to which they stop taking the medicine midway or do it irregularly. To get the full benefit of any supplement, it is very important that it be taken at a fixed time and under proper medical guidance so that anemia in the body can be completely eliminated.
If you really want your iron pills to work and your hemoglobin level to rise quickly, you will have to immediately change these small habits of yours. Always take iron tablets with water or juice containing vitamin C, and do not consume milk, tea or coffee at least two hours before or after taking it. Along with this, include natural iron rich things like green leafy vegetables, beetroot, pomegranate, jaggery and black gram in your diet. If your hemoglobin is not increasing even after this, then consult a qualified doctor and get your stomach infection, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency checked, so that the root cause of the problem can be found and treated accurately.