Body Wise*

*The information contained herein is not intended to diagnose or treat ANY medical condition.

Feeling Fatigued? It Might Be Anemia

By Jason Barker

Are you feeling fatigued — like you can’t recharge your batteries? You may have anemia.

Anemia is one of the leading causes of fatigue in people, especially active ones. Other signs of anemia include weakness, tiredness, shortness of breath during and after exercise, paleness, swelling of the tongue, and easy bruising. While the causes of fatigue are numerous, being continuously fatigued for weeks at a time is reason to have a medical exam. While certain obvious circumstances do not fall into the category of chronic fatigue, like having a new baby or a heavy workload, finding the cause behind your fatigue should be a top priority.

What is anemia? It’s a condition where the body produces misshaped or insufficient amounts of red or white blood cells. Red blood cells are responsible for distributing oxygen and nutrients, while white blood cells are responsible for immune responses. Anemia can be a fairly serious condition, with many side effects.

There are different kinds of anemia. Some forms of this condition are inherited, and others are brought on by poor nutrition.

The most common type of anemia is iron deficiency. When the body does not get enough iron, small red blood cells are produced. Red blood cells carry oxygen and nutrients to all cells. When the cells are too small, this task is done inefficiently, leading to several symptoms — mainly fatigue.

Iron deficiency occurs mostly through two avenues: inadequate dietary intake or excessive loss of blood.

Iron is found in animal flesh and green leafy vegetables, among other foods. People with selective diets may not get enough iron, and those following vegetarian/vegan diets may have even more of a challenge. Excessive loss of iron can occur from heavy or prolonged menstruation, childbirth, surgery, and sweating.

Some distance runners experience mild, but continuous, bleeding in their gastrointestinal tract, which is evidenced by blood in the stools. In time, this can lead to anemia. Although this particular condition is not serious, a doctor’s visit is in order to rule out other health concerns.

Another condition, foot strike hemolysis, occurs when red blood cells traveling through the bottom of the foot are actually crushed from the impact of each foot strike.

Anemia can also be caused by a lack of either, or both, folate and vitamin B-12. This kind of anemia leads to the production of oversized red blood cells, which do not function correctly either. B-12 and folate-related anemia could occur from inadequate intake in specialized diets. Also, some people may develop a condition known as pernicious anemia, wherein they are unable to absorb vitamin B-12 from their gut.

It is relatively easy to adjust your diet to get enough of these nutrients: Folate (also known as folic acid) is found primarily in vegetables and legumes, such as lentils, garbanzo beans, broccoli, asparagus, beets, lima beans, and spinach (among others). B-12 is found primarily in animal flesh, such as mollusks, salmon, beef, trout, and beef liver. Fortified cereals often contain 100% of the daily value for folic acid and B-12.

While folate and B-12 anemia is relatively rare (strict vegetarians are at a greater risk), iron deficiency anemia is much more common. The end result of both conditions is that red blood cells cannot properly deliver oxygen and nutrients to the cells or perform other energy-related tasks.

While these kinds of anemia are generally trivial conditions when diagnosed and treated early, they can actually become life-threatening conditions if not dealt with properly.

Anemia is an important condition to diagnose, as the causes listed here are only the most common and easily mended. Other causes of anemia may be more serious and warrant specific medical management. Therefore, it is important to find the cause of your fatigue, and if it is anemia, the underlying cause must be identified.

Anemia can be a sign of serious disease. Only a doctor can diagnose anemia through a series of blood tests; self-treatment with iron or other supplements may mask the real problem, or even lead to overdosing.

If you suspect that you have anemia, see a healthcare professional before taking any supplements. Finally, if you do take supplements, keep them away from children; accidental iron overdose is one of the leading causes of death in children under the age of six in the U.S. n

Jason Barker, ND, is a naturopathic physician who provides an integrative approach to healthcare, blending the best of alternative and conventional medicine. His practice focus is on sports nutrition and performance, hormone balance and healthy aging, and acute and chronic injury. He can be reached at 503.524.9040. www.DrJasonBarker.com