If you feel weak and exhausted, you may have anemia. Lack of iron and other nutrients is the most common cause of having a low red blood cell count. Low hemoglobin levels and a low red blood cell count are two of the hallmarks of malnutrition, nutritional deficiencies and, in some cases, harmful diseases such as leukemia. To increase the number of red blood cells, start reading the article from the first step.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Making Diet Changes
Step 1. Include iron-rich foods in your diet
They will help the body rebuild and replace what was lost. The daily intake of iron-rich foods will help increase red blood cells in the body, as iron is an essential part of red blood cells and hemoglobin and, therefore, helps provide oxygen to different parts of the body. It also helps in the expulsion of carbon monoxide during exhalation. Foods rich in iron include:
- Legumes
- Lentils
- Green leafy vegetables, such as kale and spinach
- Dried plums
- Internal parts, such as the liver
- Beans
- Egg yolk
- Red meat
-
Raisins
If your daily consumption of iron-rich foods is not enough, you can turn to supplements and minerals that will increase the production of red blood cells. Iron comes in 50-100mg and can be taken 2-3 times a day
Step 2. Get more copper
Copper can be found in white meats, shellfish, liver, whole grains, chocolate, beans, cherries and nuts. Copper supplements are also available in the form of 900 μg tablets and can be taken once a day.
- Adults require 900 μg of copper per day. During the reproductive period, menstruating women, however, need more copper than men. Women need 18 mg, while men only need 8 mg per day.
- Copper is an essential mineral that helps cells access the chemical structure of iron necessary for red blood cells during the iron metabolism process.
Step 3. Make sure you are getting enough folic acid
Otherwise known as vitamin B9, folic acid promotes the production of red blood cells. A significant decrease in folic acid can predispose to anemia.
- Cereals, breads, green leafy vegetables, peas, lentils, beans, and nuts contain high amounts of folic acid. Additionally, it is available in supplement form (100 to 250 μg) and can be taken once a day.
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends a daily consumption of 400 μg per day for adult women who have regular menstruation. Likewise, the National Institute of Health recommends 600 μg of folic acid for pregnant women.
- In addition to promoting the production of blood cells, folic acid plays an essential role in the production and regeneration of the fundamental structure of cells during normal DNA functioning.
Step 4. Take Vitamin A
Retinol, or vitamin A, boosts the development of red blood cell stem cells in the bone marrow, ensuring that red blood cells access the iron needed to process hemoglobin.
- Sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, green leafy vegetables, red peppers and fruits such as apricots, grapefruit, watermelon, plums and cantaloupe melons are rich in vitamin A.
- The daily requirement of vitamin A for women is 700 μg and 900 μg for men.
Step 5. Also take vitamin C
Take vitamin C when taking iron supplements to have a synergistic effect. This is because vitamin C increases the body's ability to absorb more iron by increasing the production of red blood cells.
The intake of 500 mg of vitamin C once a day combined with that of iron increases the rate of iron absorption in the body, making it more effective. However, take precautions when taking iron, as a high intake of supplements can be harmful to the body
Part 2 of 3: Making Lifestyle Changes
Step 1. Exercise daily
Exercise is good for everyone - including people who have low red blood cells - and can benefit both body and mind. It keeps you in good health and is recommended to avoid the onset of diseases and disorders.
- The best exercises are cardiovascular ones, such as jogging, running and swimming, although any kind of physical activity is fine.
- Training plays an important role in the production of red blood cells. When you do strenuous exercise, you get tired and sweat a lot. The demand for more oxygen increases, and when this happens, the brain is signaled that the body is out of oxygen. Therefore, the production of red blood cells and hemoglobin is stimulated, which carries and supplies the necessary oxygen.
Step 2. Eliminate bad habits
If you are worried about having a low number of red blood cells, it is best to avoid smoking and alcohol. It is also worth getting rid of these vices for your overall health.
- Smoking from cigarettes can interrupt blood flow, as it constricts blood vessels and makes blood viscous. It does not promote proper blood circulation or the supply of oxygen to other parts of the body. In addition, it can deprive the bone marrow of oxygen.
- As if that weren't enough, excessive alcohol consumption can also cause the blood to thicken, slow its circulation, deprive it of oxygen, reduce the production of red blood cells and produce immature red blood cells.
Step 3. Get a blood transfusion if needed
If the red blood cell count is so low that food and supplements are unable to provide larger amounts of red blood cells, blood transfusion may be an alternative. You can talk to your primary care physician and get a diagnostic test done. This is the complete blood count (or simply blood count), which counts the number of red blood cells in the body.
The normal range of red blood cells is 4 to 6 million cells per microliter. If you see a very low number, your doctor will likely tell you to have a red blood cell or whole blood transfusion to meet your body's demand for red blood cells and other blood components
Step 4. Get routine checkups
Seeing your doctor regularly is the best way to find out how your red blood cells are doing. In addition, it may be necessary to undergo further tests to rule out any underlying disease causing the low red blood cell count. It is best to see your doctor regularly. An annual check-up is a healthy habit.
If you've heard of a low red blood cell count, take the above tips seriously. Make a change in your lifestyle and diet to increase these values and return to your doctor for an examination. The ideal is that the levels normalize
Part 3 of 3: Understanding the Red Blood Cell Count
Step 1. Know the basics of red blood cells
About a quarter of the cells in the human body are red blood cells, or erythrocytes. These red blood cells develop in the bone marrow which produces approximately 2.4 million red blood cells per second.
- Erythrocytes circulate in the body for 100 to 120 days. It is the same reason that we are only able to donate blood once every 3 or 4 months.
- Men have an average of 5.2 million red blood cells per cubic millimeter, while women 4.6 million. If you are a regular blood donor, you may have noticed that men pass blood donation screening more frequently than women.
Step 2. Know how hemoglobin works in the blood
Iron-rich protein, known as hemoglobin, is the main component of red blood cells. It is responsible for the red color, as iron binds to oxygen.
Each hemoglobin molecule has four iron atoms, each of which binds to the oxygen molecule with 2 oxygen atoms. Hemoglobin makes up 33% of the weight of an erythrocyte, which normally corresponds to 15.5 g / dl in men and 14 g / dl in women
Step 3. Understand the role of red blood cells
Red blood cells play an important role in the transport of oxygen from the lungs to tissues and cells through the blood. They are equipped with cell membranes composed of lipids and proteins, essential for physiological function, and operate within the capillary network through the circulatory system.
- Additionally, red blood cells help remove carbon dioxide. They contain the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, which causes the reaction of water and carbon dioxide to take place to form carbonic acid and separate hydrogen and bicarbonate ions.
- Hydrogen ions bind with hemoglobin, while bicarbonate ions reach the plasma to remove about 70% of carbon dioxide; 20% of carbon dioxide binds with hemoglobin which is then released into the lungs. At the same time, the remaining 7% dissolves in the plasma.
Advice
- Vitamins B12 and B6 are also useful. Vitamin B12 is available in the form of 2.4 μg tablets and should be taken once a day. Vitamin B6 is available in the form of 1.5 μg tablets and must also be taken once a day. Meat and eggs contain vitamin B12, while bananas, fish and baked potatoes contain vitamin B6.
- The lifespan of a red blood cell is about 120 days; after this period, the bone marrow releases a new set of red blood cells.
