Anaemia

Anaemia, which means ” lacking in blood “, is among the most common diseases affecting human beings. It denotes a shortage of rich red blood cells and colouring matter and usually results from consumption of refined foods.

The blood flowing in our veins and arteries is really living tissue. Nearly half of it consists of red blood cells which carry oxygen to the tissues. Approximately one trillion ( 10,000 million ) new blood cells are formed in the bone marrow daily. The raw materials required in the production of these cells are iron, proteins, and vitamins, especially folic acid and B12.

The red colouring matter, called haemoglobin is a protein which is composed of an organic iron-compound called “heme”. The globin is a sulphur -bearing protein which makes up 96 per cent of the molecule. The formation of haemoglobin thus depends on adequate dietary supplies of iron and protein. Red cells have a lifespan of approximately 120 days and are destroyed and

replaced daily. Each person should have 100 per cent haemoglobin or about 15 grams to 100 cc of blood, and a blood count of five million red cells per millimeter. A drop in the hemoglobin content results in anaemia and a consequent decreased ability of the blood to carry oxygen to the tissues.