food and red blood cells

[nailit]

Are there any foods that can help the body to increase production of red blood cells?
Thank you.

[LazyGun]

Yes,foods rich in iron

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Anaemia-iron-deficiency-/Pages/Treatment.aspx

[Zacs-Master]

Liver. Guinness.

[boxtops]

Spinach

[nailit]

Thanks guys, very helpful.

[pdq1]

Catch-22 situation here. One of the best sources of haemoglobin is red meat. However recent research blames the eating of red meat in causing cancer.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-increase-hemoglobin-levels.html

[nailit]

Thanks pdq. Is there anything that DOESNT give you cancer nowadays?
They'll be saying that smoking is bad for you next.........

[jake-the-peg]

Check out the Daily Mail oncology project

http://dailymailoncology.tumblr.com/

Everything the DM says gives you Cancer and everything they say doesn't

And many they've run articles for that are in both!

(don't take it too seriously)

[nailit]

Thanks Jake, interesting reading. (and I wont take it too serious...)

[Sqad]

I have to disagree with the "boys"..........many, many dietary factors increase the haemoglobin levels in the blood but do not increase the number of red cells necessarily.
There are no dietary aids that increase the number of red cells directly.....except EPO which is a hormone and not directly available in food.

[pdq1]

I'm afraid red meat can lead to cancer. Take it at your peril!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17345967

[LazyGun]

@Sqad Yep, that would be right sqad - I interpreted the question as being abount iron deficiency and anaemia, rather that the more precise issue that the question raised.

Just veering wildly off-topic again - but "red meat" does not cause cancer, as has been intimated by pdqs post. Studies have demonstrated an apparent association between a diet rich in meat, especially processed red meat, and increase risks of cardiovascular events or cancer - but they have not demonstrated a causal or definitive link, and it is simply incorrect to read the trials as saying that.And articles that gloss over the type of study, the numbers involved, and state relative risk, rather than absolute risk, are far more damaging to your health that eating red meat is....

[pdq1]

I think I would be more inclined to take the results of Harvard Medical School than an amateur pundit on Answebank.

[missprim]

sqad what is EPO?

[LazyGun]

@pdq What a droll answer. Show me where Harvard Medical School categorically claim a causal link between eating red meat and cancer.

Whilst we are at it, demonstrating that you can properly analyse a scientific paper would be useful....

[LazyGun]

@MissPrim - EPO - Erythropoetin, which you can read about here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythropoietin

[missprim]

Thanks LazyGun

[woofgang]

and the catch with epo, is although it is used to combat anaemia associated with chemo treatment for some cancers, research is starting to show that it can actually stimulate cancer regrowth if not used very judiciously. It can be a huge help to people with some kinds of kidney disease who are on dialysis.