A vegetarian diet that requires the abstinence from meat and restricts animal products such as fats, milk and eggs can cause deficiencies in many vitamins and trace elements. This applies in particular to people starting out on this diet who are not yet familiar with the right choice of products, as well as women during puberty, pregnancy and lactation and those with excessive menstrual bleeding. Iron deficiency can be particularly dangerous for the health of these people and should therefore be supplemented with preparations containing this bio-element.
Women following a vegetarian diet are much more likely to require vitamin and micronutrient supplementation than women following a traditional diet. Of particular importance for women is maintaining adequate levels of iron. Iron is an essential component of haemoglobin, the pigment of red blood cells. With the help of iron, haemoglobin enables the transport of oxygen into the blood, through which it reaches all tissues and organs throughout the body. The vast majority of iron is used to produce haemoglobin, while the remainder is stored in the liver and spleen and other tissues. As iron is an essential element for many basic biological phenomena, disturbances in its metabolism can cause various effects on body metabolism. Tissue-specific iron deficiencies can lead to a reduction in the body's immunity and susceptibility to infection. Consequently, insufficient levels lead to impaired red blood cell production, anaemia and anaemia.
Iron deficiency occurs when its reserves stored in tissues and organs are depleted. This most often happens in states of increased demand for this bio-element. Such conditions include pregnancy, particularly when accompanied by incidents of bleeding, puberty, breastfeeding, heavy or haemorrhagic menstruation, during which there is a significant loss of this bioelement, and thus the need for supplementation increases significantly. Insufficient iron can cause concentration difficulties, weakness, rapid fatigue or skin problems. If a woman is a vegetarian, she should always inform her doctor, as many of the symptoms of iron deficiency can be attributed to other conditions and significantly increase the time for diagnosis, or can be underestimated and attributed, for example, to exhaustion.
Often the switch from a mixed diet to a vegetarian diet is carried out too drastically. Unfortunately, a lack of knowledge about a vegetarian diet means that, especially in the initial phase, many iron deficiencies appear in the body, which can have a very negative effect on health. Despite the fact that vegetarians consume more iron-rich foods of plant origin, the levels of this element in the body are often insufficient. People on a diet containing meat and meat products have been found to have higher levels of iron than vegetarians, despite similar iron intakes. This is most likely due to differences in bioavailability of this bio-element. The iron found in plant foods is usually non-haem iron, which is less readily absorbed by the body - only 3-8%, whereas the haem iron contained in red meat or eggs is absorbed as much as 20-50%. In vegetarians, the degree of iron deficiency depends largely on which type of vegetarianism one follows.
