How to Prevent Vitamin-Deficiency Anemia

In vitamin-deficiency anemia, your bone marrow makes red blood cells that are larger and less developed than normal. The symptoms are the same as other types of anemia, which include pale skin that bruises easily, fatigue, loss of appetite and muscle pain or weakness. There are a few easy ways to prevent vitamin-deficiency anemia.

Instructions

Prevent Vitamin-Deficiency Anemia With Proper Nutrition

• 1

  Add food rich in vitamin B12 to your diet, like fish, yogurt, eggs and mollusks. Adults need to get about 2.4 micrograms of B12 each day and children should have about 1.2 to 1.8 micrograms per day. There are also several breakfast cereals that are fortified with the minimum daily value of B12.

• 2

  Look for vitamin B12 supplements if you are a vegetarian or cannot otherwise add B12 foods to your diet. Find a supplement that also contains folic acid to help your body process B12 and prevent vitamin-deficiency anemia.

• 3

  Speak with your doctor if you have irritable bowel syndrome, sprue or other intestinal problems. These conditions can interfere with your body's ability to process vitamin B12. Your doctor may want to have you take special vitamin B12 supplements for the duration of your condition.

• 4

  Get a vitamin B12 injection if your vitamin levels are very low as a result of a chronic illness. These regular injections prevent vitamin-deficiency anemia and protect you from nerve damage in your limbs that can result from long-term deficiency. Diabetes patients and people with autoimmune disorders are at a high risk for B12 deficiency.

• 5

  Consider quitting smoking and limiting your use of alcohol. Both of these substances affect your body's absorption of folic acid, which can lead to deficiency anemia.

• 6

  Eats fruits and vegetables that are full of vitamin C, like oranges, green peppers, broccoli and pineapples. Deficiency of this vitamin can cause anemia and a host of other health problems. Adults need about 75 mg of this vitamin each day, but men often need 10 to 15 mg more than women in order to prevent a deficiency.