Vitamin A & Anemia

Huh. You weren't expecting that one, were you.

Did you know anemia can be related to vitamin A deficiency? (among many other causes).

Turns out, Vitamin A is involved in making red blood cells (erythropoiesis) and the release of iron from ferritin stores.

In a meta-analysis, Vitamin A supplementation was found to reduce the risk of anemia by 26% and to raise hemoglobin levels, compared to the non-treated group, independent of the life stage.

Vitamin A supplementation also showed a "significant increase in serum ferritin levels ... in trials conducted with pregnant and lactating women ... Therefore, vitamin A supplementation alone may reduce the risk of anemia, by improving hemoglobin and ferritin levels in individuals with low serum retinol levels," (da Cunha et al.).

Food source: liver (for retinol, the active form of vitamin A).

#MicronutrientMonday bringing you a couple of actions, interesting facts & real food sources.

References available on request.