The third dietary supplement after blood donation

　　In addition to choosing iron-rich foods such as liver, pork blood, and lean meat, taking vitamin C is also a very effective method of iron supplementation. Clinical studies have confirmed that iron deficiency anemia with mild to poisoning can be effectively cured by taking vitamin C (without iron supplementation). The principle is that vitamin C can promote the absorption of iron in other foods. This is because, in the intestine, only divalent iron (Fe2+, reduced iron) can be absorbed, while ferric iron (Fe3+, oxidized iron) cannot be absorbed. Vitamin C has a strong reducing ability, which can keep iron in the state of absorbable bivalent iron, thereby promoting iron absorption.

　　Vitamin C effectively promotes iron absorption with two prerequisites. First of all, the dose of vitamin C is larger (such as 400 to 600 mg or more per day), and the smaller dose (such as less than 100 mg per day) has no obvious effect. Such a large dose of vitamin C is almost impossible to obtain by eating vegetables and fruits, and usually requires taking vitamin C pills or supplements. In other words, although vitamin C contained in vegetables and fruits can also promote iron absorption, it is preferable to take vitamin C pills or supplements to ensure the effect. Secondly, vitamin C should be eaten at the same time as the meal, that is, at the same time as the meal (or a short time interval, such as not more than a few minutes). This is because, for vitamin C to play a role in promoting iron absorption, it is necessary to let vitamins and iron meet in the intestinal cavity. If you take vitamin C on an empty stomach, if there is no food in the intestine, there will be no iron, so it is obviously impossible to promote iron absorption.

　　The third good way to supplement iron is to eat iron-fortified foods, such as iron-added soy sauce, iron-added milk, iron-added flour, etc. These fortified foods are now easy to buy in large supermarkets To.