If you feel weak and lethargic, you may be suffering from anemia. Lack of iron and other nutrients is the most common cause of low red blood cell counts. Low hemoglobin levels and a low red blood cell count are two of the signs of malnutrition, malnutrition, and, in some cases, dangerous diseases such as leukemia. To increase your red blood cell count, start with Step 1 below.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Diet Modifications
Step 1. Eat foods rich in iron
This will help the body rebuild and replace lost substances. Daily intake of foods rich in iron will help increase red blood cells in the body. This is because iron is an important part of red blood cells and hemoglobin which helps distribute oxygen to various parts of the body. Iron also helps in the removal of carbon monoxide during the respiratory process. Food rich in iron includes:
- Nuts
- Lentils
- Green leafy vegetables like cabbage and spinach
- Dried Plums
- Offal like heart
- Peanut
- Egg yolk
- Red meat
-
Dried Raisins
If the daily consumption of iron-rich foods daily is not enough, you can supplement it with supplements and minerals that will increase the production of red blood cells. Iron tablets are available in 50-100 milligrams and can be taken 2-3 times a day
Step 2. Consume more copper nutrients
Copper can be found in poultry, shellfish, liver, seeds, chocolate, nuts, cherries and other legumes. Copper nutritional supplements are also available in the form of 900 microgram tablets and can be taken once a day.
- Adults need 900 micrograms of copper per day. During productive age, women experience menstruation so they need copper more than men. Women need 18 milligrams while men only need 8 milligrams per day.
- Copper is another important mineral that helps cells obtain iron in the chemical form necessary for iron metabolism.
Step 3. Make sure you get enough folic acid
Folic acid, which is also known as Vitamin B9, helps in the production of red blood cells. A significant decrease in folic acid can lead to anemia.
- Cereals, breads, dark green leafy vegetables, peas, lentils and beans contain high amounts of folic acid. Folic acid is also available in supplement tablet form – Folic acid can be taken once a day at a dose of 100 to 250 micrograms.
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (America's College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists) or ACOG recommends an intake of 400 micrograms of folic acid per day for adult women who are menstruating every month. Likewise, the National Institute of Health (United States National Institute of Health) recommends intake of 600 micrograms of folic acid for pregnant women.
- Apart from aiding in the production of healthy blood cells, folic acid also plays an important role in the production and repair of cells.
Step 4. Take Vitamin A
Retinol, or vitamin A, helps the development of stem cells that will become red blood cells in the bone marrow by ensuring that developing red blood cells get enough iron needed to produce hemoglobin.
- Sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, dark green leafy vegetables, sweet red peppers and fruits like apricots, oranges, watermelon, plums and cantaloupe are rich in vitamin A.
- The daily requirement of vitamin A for women is 700 micrograms and 900 micrograms for men.
Step 5. Also take Vitamin C
Taking vitamin C together with iron supplements can have a synergistic effect. This is because vitamin C increases the body's ability to absorb more iron, thereby increasing the production of red blood cells.
Taking 500mg of vitamin C once a day together with iron will increase the level of iron absorption in the body so that it is more effective. But be careful, iron in high levels can also be harmful to the body
Method 2 of 3: Lifestyle Modification
Step 1. Do exercise every day on a regular basis
Exercise is good for everyone – including those with low red blood cell counts – and can benefit you both physically and mentally. Exercise keeps you healthy and is recommended as a preventative for certain diseases.
- Exercises for the heart like jogging, running, and swimming are best, although all sports are good too.
- Exercise has an important role in the production of red blood cells. When you exercise intensively, you will feel tired and sweat profusely. Strenuous exercise requires the body to be able to obtain large amounts of oxygen. If you do strenuous exercise, a signal will be sent to the brain that the body is deprived of oxygen and therefore, stimulates the production of red blood cells and hemoglobin. This process carries and supplies the required oxygen.
Step 2. Give up bad habits
If you are concerned about your red blood cell count, you should avoid smoking and alcoholic beverages. Actually, this habit needs to be avoided for general health.
- Smoking can interfere with blood flow because it constricts blood vessels and makes the blood thick. This will make the blood unable to circulate properly and distribute oxygen to other parts of the body. In addition, this situation can deprive the bone marrow of oxygen.
- On the other hand, excessive alcohol consumption can also make the blood thick and slow to flow, lack of oxygen, reduce the production of red blood cells, and will result in immature red blood cells.
Step 3. Get a blood transfusion if needed
If your red blood cell count is so low that food and supplements can no longer provide large numbers of red blood cells, a blood transfusion may be an option. You can consult your doctor and get the necessary diagnostic tests. This test is a Complete Blood Count (CBC) which will measure the number of red blood cells in your body.
The normal range for red blood cell counts is 4 to 6 million cells per milliliter. If you have very low red blood cells, your doctor may order you to undergo a packed red blood cell (PRBC) or whole blood (whole blood) transfusion to meet the needs of red blood cells and other blood components in the body.
Step 4. Perform regular physical examinations
Consulting your doctor regularly is the best way to find out how your red blood cells are. Additional tests may be needed to make sure there is no condition that causes a low red blood cell count. It is best to consult regularly with your doctor. Regular physical examination every year is a good habit.
If you are told that your red blood cell count is low, heed the tips above. Ensure a healthy lifestyle and diet to increase red blood cell count and consult your doctor. If this is done, ideally, your red blood cell count will return to normal
Method 3 of 3: Understanding Red Blood Cells
Step 1. Know basic information about red blood cells
About a quarter of the cells of the human body are red blood cells, or erythrocytes. These red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow which produces about 2.4 million red blood cells per second.
- Erythrocytes circulate in the body for 100 to 120 days, before finally dying. This is the reason why we can only donate blood every 3 to 4 months.
- Men have an average of 5.2 million red blood cells per cubic millimeter and 4.6 million in women. If you donate blood regularly, you will notice that men pass the blood donor screening more often than women.
Step 2. Know how hemoglobin works in the blood
The iron-rich protein known as hemoglobin is the main component of red blood cells. Hemoglobin makes blood red because iron binds to oxygen.
Each hemoglobin molecule has four iron atoms and each is bonded to 1 oxygen molecule and 2 oxygen atoms. About 33% of erythrocytes are normal hemoglobin of 15.5 g/dL in men and 14 g/dL in women
Step 3. Understand the role of red blood cells
Red blood cells play an important role in transporting oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the tissues and cells. Red blood cells have a cell membrane consisting of lipids and proteins and are essential for physiological functions for their role in the capillary network in the circulatory system.
- Apart from that, red blood cells also help in the removal of carbon dioxide. Red blood cells contain the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, which allows the reaction between water and carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid and to separate hydrogen from bicarbonate ions.
- Hydrogen ions bind to hemoglobin while bicarbonate ions enter the plasma and remove about 70% of the carbon dioxide. Twenty percent of the carbon dioxide is bound to hemoglobin which is then released in the lungs. Meanwhile, the remaining 7% will be dissolved in plasma.
Tips
- Vitamins B12 and B6 are also good. Vitamin B12 is available in the form of 2.4 microgram tablets and must be taken once a day. Vitamin B6 is available in 1.5 microgram tablets and should also be taken once a day. Meat and eggs contain vitamin B12 while bananas, fish and baked potatoes contain vitamin B6.
- The lifespan of a red blood cell is about 120 days; after that the bone marrow releases a new set of red blood cells.
