About 2.5% of iron in the human body, about 70% of it is in the hemoglobin. If there is not enough of it, which comes only with food, the process of oxygen transfer of their lungs into tissues, which are carried out by red blood cells, due to a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin, is disrupted. In addition to participating in the synthesis of hemoglobin, this substance is necessary for:
- Maintenance of immunity.
- Delivery of oxygen in muscle tissue, cartilage and bone tissue, collagen in the proteins that perform this process. Inclusion of its molecules in the composition of these proteins - carriers occurs in the upper intestine, and stocks are deposited in the liver in the form of hemosiderin.
The reasons for the lack of this element are:
- inadequate intake with food;
- by difficulty digestion in the intestine;
- increased consumption, increasing the supply, which does not compensate for the growth in demand.
The lack of iron causes anemia, oxygen starvation. Diseases of the intestine, such as ulcer, pancreatitis, chronic gastritis, duodenitis, a violation of the process of assimilation of the element, which is immediately excreted from the body. Loss of this necessary element is inevitable with internal and nasal bleeding, and in women it is also menstruation. To the deficiency of substance leads pregnancy, when the fetus needs food. To compensate for missing elements, iron-containing preparations are prescribed. However, constipation with iron intake is quite common.
Constipation from iron
Calculation of the intake of drugs correcting the content of this element in the body is based on the requirement of about 2 mg per kilogram of body weight. When taking the drug there may be side effects, the main one of which is constipation. Constipation from iron preparations occurs because of the irritating effect on the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract of metal ions. The strength of constipation after ingestion of iron is directly related to the amount of drug that was absorbed. That is, the better it is absorbed, the weaker the side effect is revealed.
Constipation of iron preparations provokes and in the event that there is already a disease of the esophagus or other organs that interfere with the normal process of assimilation of the element. If, in spite of the developed constipation, the reception of such drugs must be continued, it is possible to apply several methods to reduce their negative impact. First, you can reduce the dosage of the drug, reducing a single load on the body. Then, it is possible to adjust the diet by including in the diet foods that relax on the intestine.
Plum juice, which is a source of iron, is very effective in this case, but at the same time it has a weak laxative effect. A soft laxative effect is possessed by dried apricots, which also contains a large amount of this element. Taking food for dried apricots at night can solve both the deficit of this element and constipation simultaneously.
Another reason why iron preparations cause constipation is their use together with antibiotics, preparations containing magnesium and for relief of heartburn. Violate the process of absorption of the substance if you take the tablets with milk, tea or coffee.
Pregnant women and during lactation are recommended to prevent the development of anemia it is recommended to take drugs based on this substance. The need for their application is related to the fact that during the period of gestation and childbirth the woman loses up to 1400 mg of iron, which causes iron deficiency anemia. At the same time it is possible:
- abortion in early terms;
- obstetric pathology in childbirth;
- development of cardiovascular diseases.
To prevent the development of constipation when taking iron-containing medications, it is recommended to increase the intake of vitamin C, or together with preparations containing ascorbic acid.
The need for iron in a child's body is higher than that of an adult, as it is involved not only in the process of hematopoiesis, but also in the growth of tissues. Therefore, anemia is very dangerous, especially in children under one year old. In infants, constipation from the gland can manifest, if the mother during the lactation took drugs containing this component. Constipation in the infant after taking iron by the nursing mother is explained by the fact that, together with the mother's milk, the element penetrates into the intestine of the infant, whose mucosa does not yet have sufficient resistance to negative influences. Constipation in infants for this reason is more often observed with artificial feeding. To eliminate the symptoms of a difficult process of bowel evacuation, special physical exercises are recommended. If they do not give an effect, then a change in the used mixture is possible.