Due to malnutrition, anemia threatens maternal health in Yemen [Archives:2007/1052/Health]

Although there are various factors in the high mortality rate among Yemeni mothers, anemia is responsible for a considerable percentage. The major cause of anemia is malnutrition resulting from either shortage of essential vitamins or nutritional imbalance. Women are more subject to the disease than men due to menstruation and losing large quantities of iron during pregnancy.

Gynecologist Aziza Al-Mashreqi confirms that nutritional imbalance leads to a deficiency of major vitamins such as vitamin D and B-12, as well as iron deficiency, thus causing malnutrition followed by anemia.

“Some people, especially mothers, concentrate on certain types of food while neglecting others. Also, some mothers buy expensive medicine thinking that it will compensate for a shortage of vitamins and minerals; however, this method of nutrition is wrong. There are many kinds of food that are important for the body. They are available nearly everywhere and are cheap,” she explains.

Al-Mashreqi points out that anemia begins when the body's hemoglobin is less than 9 and reaches the degree of risk when it becomes less than 7. She also maintains that salads, fruits, dates and honey are important foods for people in general and mothers in particular.

“Foods rich in carbohydrates and fat, such as meat, rice and potatoes, don't increase red blood cells in the body. Rather, they bring about obesity, as we sometimes see that some women are fat but anemic at the same time,” she revealed.

Anemia has several symptoms, such as lack of energy and vitality, fatigue, insomnia, yellow skin color and difficulty concentrating. Due to increased iron deficiency, other symptoms appear, such as dizziness, high heart palpation, loss of appetite and menstrual disorders. In case of vitamin B-12 deficiency, other symptoms arise in the tongue and stomach, with changes in skin color and mental abilities also affected.

Doctors affirm that mothers should practice proper nutrition, especially during pregnancy, in order to ensure better health for both themselves and the baby. Pregnant women need an adequate quantity of folic acid, iron and calcium in order to be safe during pregnancy and delivery. Because they prevent anemia, these substances are necessary for all women, but particularly for mothers to help them provide the fetus proper nutrition, as well as protect infants from serious birth defects.

Women need 50 percent more iron during pregnancy in order to avoid anemia. The proper quantity also is important for the formation of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. Some studies prove that iron deficiency anemia in mothers is linked to low birth weights and iron-deficient infants.

Calcium is also of vital importance for both mothers and their infants. If women don't consume enough calcium, their bodies will take it from their bones, thus decreasing bone mass and increasing the risk of osteoporosis.
——
[archive-e:1052-v:15-y:2007-d:2007-05-21-p:health]