High Iron Content Foods

Hi, im 17 and ive just been told i have iron deficiency anemia (blood count 9.2) and my blood pressure is very low (82/55). Im taking Ferrous Sulphate and have changed my diet but my doctor didnt say anything about it increasing my blood pressure level.

Im just wondering if anemia and low blood pressure go hand in hand and will increase with my iron levels or if i need to find a way of increasing it myself. If that is the case then any suggestions how i would go about it would be appreciated.

x

[Renee Radenberg]

They do not usually; however, if you had blood loss both iron stores and blood pressure would decrease. Suggest increasing your salt intake in foods or drinks (Gatorade) to help keep your blood pressure from decreasing. Women have a higher demand for iron then men due to monthly menstrual flow. There are 2 types of iron in our food sources, Heme iron and Non-Heme iron. Heme iron is from animal sources and Non-Heme is plant sources. Non-Heme iron has more iron then Heme iron , however, it does not absorbed well into our bodies so it is important to eat foods with Vitamin C and Heme iron foods to enhance absorption. For example, chicken with beans and a fresh orange; drink orange juice with the iron supplement; or have mashed potatoes with meat at a meal. High Iron food sources are all meats, fish, dark green vegetables, beans, enriched rice (cooked), enriched pastas (cooked), and whole wheat breads. Make sure you are consuming 1800 calories a day (which you need for your age) of a variety of healthy foods, too. If your levels do not go up in a few months, then suggest getting additional testing. Hoped this helped you.

[Jacks728]

Hi,

Er, mine's a little different--high blood pressure and then its low.  I know it's supposed to be higher than normal in the morning and lower at night. But...when it gets high, it's at 140/110--At rest--my pulse is at 135. When it's low, it's 109/68 with a pulse of 89... my left arm feels prickly at one time then numb the next. My ears feel...heavy? Like there's a great weight. The scary part is I'm only 17, 5'2'', 105 lbs, I'm not even overweight, nor do eat unhealthily, not diabetic, I do have a sleep disorder, I do have a family history of heart disease and thyroid problems so maybe it's an endocrine problem rather than a heart problem? and I expected the high blood pressure to come along eventually but at 17?? I went to a cardiologist and he just wants me to record the numbers--no medication.They've done an EKG--and nothing.... I was referred to an endocrinologist too and they didn't find anything that would explain it. I was then subject to several other tests including renal and all they found was a cyst on my left ovary--nothing.

The first time it ever happened to me was about a year ago when I ended up with bronchitis during a nasty cold--my blood pressure shot up to 156/135 because of the inhalant I was prescribed (can't recall the name), don't remember the pulse and I was hospitilized for about 3 days. Ever since it's just gotten higher during more stressful times or sleep-deprived days. When I cut back on the caffeine it stopped getting out of hand. I 've completely cut myself from every source of caffeine for the last 5 months and I make an extreme effort to avoid salty foods because I feel the effects within 15 minutes...When I broke my fast and had about half a bag of sunflower seeds it got bad enough that I immediately took a baby aspirin and it shot down to 107/75 and to bring it back to normal I ate some toast with jam...it's ridiculous! Now it's been doing that for about a week during a stress-free holiday?--up and then down...I'm more worried when it's high, but when it's low I feel horrible.

Am I doing something wrong? Is it going to get worse? I don't want to be dependent on high blood pressure medication for the rest of my life...but it's better than a heart attack.

[Renee Radenberg]

Please ask your question separately in the forum. Thank you