Hemoglobin is a complex protein that is part of red blood cells, participating in the transport of carbon dioxide and oxygen. The norm of this indicator for men is 130-170 g / l, and for women - 120-150 g / l. In the event of a significant deviation from the standards, a person experiences negative symptoms, which are expressed in weakness, lethargy, apathy, and so on. In this article, we will examine what hemoglobin raises and why pigment adjustment is required.
Reasons for the decline
First of all, it is iron deficiency, which is due to insufficient intake of nutrients from food, impaired absorption of the enzyme and blood loss.
Often, a lower hemoglobin content is found in vegetarians. As you know, vegetable food contains non-heme iron, which is poorly absorbed by the intestines (only 8-10%).
Sometimes low hemoglobin is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B 12 , which is found in animal products (fish, meat, eggs, milk, etc.).
And one of the most common causes of lower levels of iron in the body is pregnancy.
Signs of a decrease in hemoglobin
Before we find out what hemoglobin raises, it is worth briefly telling about what symptoms appear. Often with a prolonged lack of iron in the body , overall health and well-being begins to decline. In the early stages, young people will not notice the difference at all, and some even continue to do physically hard work. But gradually the skin and mucous membranes pale, and the surface of the tongue becomes smooth and hyperemic. Iron deficiency is manifested in dry skin, the appearance of cracks in the corners of the mouth, brittleness, exfoliation of nails, and deterioration of the hair.
In the case of a severe iron deficiency condition, a manifestation of a perverted appetite (desire to eat chalk, clay, sand), violation of smell (like the smell of paints, acetone, detergents) is possible.
How to increase iron levels
Seamlessly, we moved on to the fact that hemoglobin rises. First of all, the underlying disease is eliminated, but if this happens during pregnancy, the doctor determines a different type of treatment. So, with a slight decrease, a diet with a high content of vitamins and iron directly is prescribed. The diet includes all legumes, buckwheat, porcini mushrooms, egg yolks, pomegranate juice, chocolate, dates, walnuts, honey, cherries. For this period, it is desirable to limit the use of tea and coffee, as the phytates that are contained in them interfere with the absorption of iron.
We examined which products increase hemoglobin in pregnant women, but they can not always increase the iron content.
The level of hemoglobin in pregnant women is checked quite often, since its content can change dramatically in just a few days. If the diet did not help or the indicators are too low (the risk of developing anemia or its presence), then medications are prescribed. One of the most affordable is iron sulfate, which is taken before meals.
In no case do not use any drug that raises hemoglobin for prevention, since excess iron also negatively affects your health.