World crisis in iron anemia, what to do?

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If someone is really interested in being a vegetarian special concern needs to be taken that
enough iron is being consumed and the mix of foods consumed. Iron anemia is one of the world's
greatest nutritional problems, especially in those areas where a vegetarian diet is common and/or
in areas where poverty allows mostly only veggie sources of food; especially grain foods. India
has a big problem in this area, here is an article discussing it:

Correction of Anemia and Iron Deficiency in Vegetarians

makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.comOpen ↗

Here is an article that discusses the range of problems a vegetarian only diet can present and the
variables to be juggled to avoid being anemic:

llu.eduiron.htmOpen ↗

There are two kinds of iron, both occur in meat and only one in veggies. The iron in meat is
easily absorbed while that in veggies is less so. Some vegetarian foods even make this absorbtion
less effective. For example, soy products can cause less iron absorption. The above article
address quite well how to avoid being iron deficiency anemic on a vegetarian only diet and the
problems, especially for women and children, if care is not taken.

Oh you're just winding him up now ;o)

MB

Quoted message said:

If someone is really interested in being a vegetarian special concern needs to be taken that enough
iron is being consumed and the mix of foods consumed. Iron anemia is one of the world's greatest
nutritional problems, especially in those areas where a vegetarian diet is common and/or in areas
where poverty allows mostly only veggie sources of food; especially grain foods. India has a big
problem in this area, here is an article discussing it:

It may not be the vegetarian diet per se that may induce iron-deficiency, but the lack of a diverse
diet. In India, a great deal of the diet rests in dal (lentils) and rice. The phytic acid may help
deplete iron. Those who eat a more diverse diet probably will not have as much of a trouble with
iron deficiency.

Clearly, for many globally, there IS a problem with iron deficiency, especially among menstruating
women. Some supplementation may help. Iodine deficiencies are also widely recognized.

By contrast, in some populations, iron overload can be a significant problem. Adult men probably do
NOT need to supplement with any iron, even in a resource poor environment. There are studies showing
that excess iron may lead to heightened susceptibility to tuberculosis infection, for example. In
the setting of certain chronic diseases such as a chronic hepatitis viral infection or HIV, excess
iron is contraindicated for the most part.

Making blanket statements that apply to all humans is part of the problem. "It worked for me,
therefore it is good for all!" This kind of narrow thinking is not holistic nor sensible. Dietary
advice, for example. Individuals must be evaluated -- and each of us should do this more for
ourselves than rely solely on physicians with little time to actually practice the ART of medicine
-- based on our gender, age, body mass index/weight, medical history, etc. Then choices about
whether and what and if to supplement, how to modify diet, levels of exercise and amounts of rest
can be made based on extant data, personal choice, income and access issues and the time and
willingness one will put into such modifications.

That doesn't mean generalizations need never be made. For example, I think a good multivitamin is an
inexpensive and extremely valuable intervention for each and every individual with HIV. Iron-free
for men! This view is based on numerous data from studies done in Africa, the United States and
elsewhere.

George M. Carter

[email hidden] wrote or quoted:

Quoted message said:

Here is an article that discusses the range of problems a vegetarian only diet can present and the
variables to be juggled to avoid being anemic:

llu.eduiron.htmOpen ↗

There are two kinds of iron, both occur in meat and only one in veggies. The iron in meat is
easily absorbed while that in veggies is less so. Some vegetarian foods even make this absorbtion
less effective. For example, soy products can cause less iron absorption. The above article
address quite well how to avoid being iron deficiency anemic on a vegetarian only diet and the
problems, especially for women and children, if care is not taken.

The article concludes:

``The fact that iron from plant foods is more influenced by inhibitors and enhancers of absorption
may be advantageous. High body stores of iron don't have any particular advantage, but they may have
a disadvantage. Iron is a pro- oxidant--it promotes the oxidative damage that is linked to many
chronic diseases. Excess iron stores are linked to increased risk for heart disease and cancer,
particularly colorectal cancer. In the Framingham Heart Study, only 3 percent of 1,016 older people
studied had low iron stores, but 13 percent had iron stores that were too high. Since the main way
the human body protects against excess iron is by controlling absorption, and non-heme iron is more
sensitive to the factors that control absorption, diets that contain only non-heme iron--i.e.,
vegetarian diets--are more likely to protect against excess iron storage.

Also, the very factor in vegetarian diets that inhibits iron absorption, phytate, is an
antioxidant and so may contribute to lower chronic disease risk. In addition, the plant foods that
are rich in iron are also rich in other disease- fighting compounds, while consumption of red meat
raises risk for chronic disease.

It doesn't make sense to look toward meat to provide adequate iron since plant foods can provide
plenty of this mineral. It does make sense to include plenty of iron-rich foods in the diet every
day and to choose a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables to enhance iron absorption.''
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"Tim Tyler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] wrote or quoted:

Quoted message said:

Here is an article that discusses the range of problems a vegetarian

only

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

diet can present and the variables to be juggled to avoid being anemic:

llu.eduiron.htmOpen ↗

There are two kinds of iron, both occur in meat and only one in veggies. The iron in meat is
easily absorbed while that in veggies is less so. Some vegetarian foods even make this
absorbtion less effective. For example, soy products can cause less iron absorption. The above
article address quite well how to avoid being iron deficiency anemic on a vegetarian only diet
and the problems, especially for women and

children,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

if care is not taken.

The article concludes:

``The fact that iron from plant foods is more influenced by inhibitors and enhancers of absorption
may be advantageous. High body stores of iron don't have any particular advantage, but they may
have a disadvantage. Iron is a pro- oxidant--it promotes the oxidative damage that is linked to
many chronic diseases. Excess iron stores are linked to increased risk for heart disease and
cancer, particularly colorectal cancer. In the Framingham Heart Study, only 3 percent of 1,016
older people studied had low iron stores, but 13 percent had iron stores that were too high. Since
the main way the human body protects against excess iron is by controlling absorption, and non-
heme iron is more sensitive to the factors that control absorption, diets that contain only non-
heme iron--i.e., vegetarian diets--are more likely to protect against excess iron storage.

Also, the very factor in vegetarian diets that inhibits iron absorption, phytate, is an
antioxidant and so may contribute to lower chronic disease risk. In addition, the plant foods
that are rich in iron are also rich in other disease- fighting compounds, while consumption of
red meat raises risk for chronic disease.

It doesn't make sense to look toward meat to provide adequate iron since plant foods can provide
plenty of this mineral. It does make sense to include plenty of iron-rich foods in the diet
every day and to choose a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables to enhance iron
absorption.''

IF a vegetarian IS iron-deficient and s/he is willing to eat a barely sentient creature, then small
baby clams are a very rich source of iron. I conjecture the iron is in the contents of their little
tummies, not in their flesh. Therefore, whole baby clams may be non-heme iron. My iron store is
somewhat low, for which I'm grateful.

George W. Cherry

<snip>

Quoted message said:

George Cherry said:

IF a vegetarian IS iron-deficient and s/he is willing to eat a barely sentient creature, then
small baby clams are a very rich source of iron. I conjecture the iron is in the contents of
their little tummies, not in their flesh. Therefore, whole baby clams may be non-heme iron. My
iron store is somewhat low, for which I'm grateful.

George W. Cherry

Quoted message said:

It seems you are wrong ..

<<snip>> Foods containing heme iron include (in order of iron-richness) clams,

oysters,

Quoted message said:

organ meats, beef, pork, poultry, and fish. <<snip>>

Who loves ya. Tom

I assume that your list is in decreasing order of iron richness.

Thanks, Tom. So it's heme iron. Where did you get this info? I monitor my iron level carefully, and
my iron store is usually low. My doctor wants me to take a multivitamin with iron, but I refuse to
follow his advice. I ingest lots of phytic acid when I eat meals which include clams. Is that in
increasing order or decreasing order of iron richness?

I'm holding in my hand a can of Geisha Whole Baby Clams. Here's what the label states:

Serving Size: 1/3 cup (55g) Calories: 50 Total Fat: 0.5g Saturated Fat: 0g Protein: 9g Percent of
Daily Value (DV) based on a 2,000 calorie diet: Iron 90%

A pretty good profile, I think: Calorie density under 1.0 (far less if you use the liquid), no sat
fat, quite a bit of protein, and a LOT of iron. I dump the whole can (3 servings) into a microwave
container with a can of no-salt organic tomato soup, and warm it. I then liberally sprinkle curry
powder on it and (yum-yum) eat it. It's the only flesh food I eat. (Unless you count the Menhaden
fish oil capsules I take.) I belong to the low Glycemic Index lacto ovo plant-eating brotherhood.
Buddha was a vegetarian too.

George W. Cherry

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Jesus Was A Vegetarian! jesuswasavegetarian.7h.comjesuswasavegetarian.7h.comOpen ↗ Man Is A Herbivore!
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