Calcium against Iron
Iron is an essential mineral that all human beings need to survive as it forms an important part of hemoglobin, the red pigment in our red blood cells. Hemoglobin binds to oxygen in the lungs and distributes it to cells around the body. Now that you are aware of the role played by iron in the body, it will be easy for you to guess what will happen when someone suffers from iron deficiency,
- Fewer and smaller red blood cells
- Cells in the body will be often deprived of oxygen
- The person will constantly feel weak
- Skin colour will be pale
- Shortness of breath on doing simple physical activities
The above conditions can all be prevented by eating a diet that contains the right amount of iron, which is itself dependent on our age, gender and body size, among others. That being said, it implies that people should not be anemic if they consume the relevant amount or iron. But, unfortunately that is not always the case because many times we are consuming iron along with iron-absorption inhibitors. Hence, we are not getting the benefit of the iron in our food as it is not able to enter the body.
Did you know that iron absorption is inhibited in our gastrointestinal tract by an essential mineral present in all dairy products? I doubt you would have guessed that the culprit is calcium. Yes, calcium. We need calcium for sure to maintain strong and healthy bones and for the body to carry out several other important functions such as muscular contraction. Yet, this important mineral has an inhibitory effect on the absorption of iron, which can be the cause of anemia in many men and women who are including the right amount of iron in their diet.
The way forward is to
- to be mindful of not consuming iron and calcium together
- not taking calcium a few hours before and after our lunch and dinner, if these contain iron (as once we eat, food stays in our stomach for hours before it is moved to the next part of the digestive system for further breakdown and absorption)
- consume vitamin C along with meals containing iron, as the former enhances the absorption of non-heme iron (which is one of the two forms in which iron is found in our food).