my friend just me they have 90% iron is this true?ps i have a low white blood count and i think i have low iron and need iron [
Feeling sleepy? Hemoglobin is the component of red blood cells that transports oxygen to the brain. Iron is a component of hemoglobin. The normal range for women's hemoglobin is 12-16. If you ask your doctor to prescribe you a complete blood count, you have your blood drawn to see what your hemoglobin level is. If your hemoglobin is below 12 it may mean that you need an iron supplement, however the best way to receive Iron is through foods that naturally contain high amounts of iron. Try spinach, steak, etc. Frosted mini wheats and other cereals are FORTIFIED (which means they add vitamins into your sugary cereal to make them seem more nutritionally valuable). The funny thing is, most people eat cereal with milk and milk actually makes it harder for your body to absorb iron. The best way iron is absorbed is on an empty stomach with orange juice. :-) So I hope this helps. (coming from an anemic RN.)
Low iron problem cannot be cured by consuming more iron. In fact, eating too much iron can result in heavy metal poisoning - that's what iron is. Low white blood count has nothing to do with low iron. It's the red cell that has iron, not the white. In the 1980's and part of the 1990's many manufacturers were tauting that they fortified product with high amounts of iron, but it turned out that high amounts of iron was causing all sorts of health problems for their consumers. This is the reason why you don't see the fortified with iron on labels any more because food makers since have stopped adding iron to drinks, cereal, and other prepackaged food.
A low white blood count is NOTHING that you can do about. It has to do with your body being able to fight off infection which is different than the red blood cells. The iron that is in different foods is to help build your iron for the red blood count, NOT white blood count. There is NO way to build up the white blood cells!!! You can only monitor white blood cells on a regular basis with your physician.
