Taking iron supplements can be useless if you make common mistakes. Immunologist Svetlana Chulkova explained which dietary habits reduce iron absorption by up to 80% and leave the body unprotected, reports infohub.kz.
"You've been taking iron for three months now. Hemoglobin is normal, but fatigue persists. Hair is still falling out. What's the catch? Most likely, you're making one of these mistakes," the immunologist explains.
Mistake #1: It is not recommended to wash down iron with tea or coffee, as tannins in these drinks bind to iron, and it is excreted without being absorbed. In this case, the effectiveness of the intake drops by 80%. You take the medicine, but there is no benefit.
Mistake #2: Taking iron with milk, cottage cheese, or cheese will also not bring any benefit. "The fact is that calcium competes with iron for the same transport proteins. Iron absorption decreases by 50–70%. The drug does not work, and you lose time and money," she explains.
Mistake #3: Do not take iron on a full stomach. In this case, absorption of the drug drops by 40% compared to taking it on an empty stomach. According to the immunologist, iron simply passes through. The body does not get the required dose, and the deficiency is not corrected for months.
Mistake #4: You should not stop taking iron as soon as hemoglobin returns to normal. "Hemoglobin is a temporary indicator. Iron stores (ferritin) remain low. As soon as you stop taking it, hemoglobin drops again in two to three months. You return to the same point where you started," she explains.
Mistake #5: Not retesting ferritin after the course is also a mistake. According to Chulkova, a person does not know if the goal has been achieved. Perhaps ferritin is still low, and treatment should be continued. "Or, on the contrary, you overdid it, and iron began to accumulate with the risk of overload on the liver and heart. Without a control test, you are flying blind," the doctor explains.
Earlier, Chulkova spoke about unexpected factors that can affect a decrease in immunity.