Introduction
Iron deficiency is due to a lack of iron in the blood cells. Iron is fundamental for generating hemoglobin protein in the blood that carries oxygen from the lungs to other body parts. When one lacks iron in the blood, they suffer from iron deficiency anemia, a condition whereby the blood lacks healthy red blood cells. Therefore, this presentation wishes to enlighten the audience about iron deficiency, analyze why iron is critical to the human body, and what happens when one lacks it.
Iron Deficiency
Iron is a fundamental mineral that assists in maintaining healthy blood. Without iron, one suffers from iron deficiency anemia. When one lacks iron, the red blood cells become unhealthy since they will have a significant component known as hemoglobin (Zimmermann 8). Hemoglobin is the protein contained in red blood cells, which delivers oxygenated blood from the lungs to the body tissues. For adequate tissue oxygenation, one needs to maintain sufficient hemoglobin. As a result, one needs to have sufficient iron to produce blood, particularly red blood cells that contain the component in charge of carrying and distributing oxygenated blood across the body.
Role of Iron
Furthermore, iron deficiency is the most common form of anemia, and it happens over a period when the human body lacks iron to manufacture red blood cells that have hemoglobin. Besides helping to create hemoglobin in the red blood cells, iron also greatly helps strengthen the immune system (Clark 6). The lack of iron affects the ability to have an adequate immune response since it helps in the proliferation and maturation of immune cells, especially lymphocytes, which are linked with creating a particular response to infection. Other functions of iron in the human body include regulating body temperature and helping in brain development and thyroid function.
Iron Deficiency Side Effects
One can easily identify the presence of iron deficiency in the body when one experiences frequent fatigue, weakness, presence of pale skin, dizziness, shortness of breath as well as frequent headaches (Mahan et al. 5). Besides, iron deficiency is caused by several things, including too much loss of blood, pregnancy, monthly period, chronic kidney disease as well as gastrointestinal blood loss. Iron deficiency side effects are serious; therefore, this health complication should not be taken lightly. However, it rarely causes death; frequent shortness of breath, dizziness, and headache affect one’s life since their health status is interrupted.
Prevention of Iron Deficiency
Fortunately, humans can prevent iron deficiency anemia in several ways, including finding ways to increase iron in the body. One of the means includes:
- Consuming seafood.
- Eating dark green leafy vegetables like spinach beans (Duyff 2).
- Iron-fortified cereals like pasta.
Consuming such products regularly will significantly boost iron levels in the human body and prevent people from suffering from iron deficiency anemia.
Conclusion
Iron is a critical mineral in the human body due to its vital role in helping the body have healthy blood. The presence of healthy blood guarantees adequate transportation of oxygen to all body tissues. Iron deficiency leads to anemia, a condition that involves an insufficient supply of oxygenated blood since the red blood cells cannot manufacture sufficient hemoglobin. Consuming iron-rich food, including spinach, red meat, and seafood, will significantly boost iron levels in the human body and guarantee adequate levels of iron that help manufacture enough hemoglobin protein to transport oxygenated blood into all other tissues.
Works Cited
Clark, Nancy. Nancy Clark’s sports nutrition guidebook. Human Kinetics, 2019.
Duyff, Robert. “Complete food and nutrition guide.” Nutrition 1 (2017): 2.
Mahan, L. Kathleen, and Janice L. Raymond. Krause’s Food & the Nutrition Care process-e-book. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2016.
Zimmermann, Michael B. “Methods to assess iron and iodine status.” British journal of nutrition 99.S3 (2008): S2-S9.