Low platelet count is a condition called thrombocytopenia. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including poor nutrition. Blood cells are constantly dying and being produced in an endless cycle in your body. Platelets help your blood clot and are created by your bone marrow, the spongy substance inside your bones. If your bones do not make enough platelets, it can cause serious bleeding both internally and externally. Symptoms of thrombocytopenia include excessive bleeding or blue, red or brown bruises on your skin.
Excessive Alcohol
Drinking alcohol regularly can affect your blood cells. Drinking heavily can suppress your body’s blood cell production, according to Harold S. Ballard, M.D. in an article published in a 1997 issue of “Alcohol Health & Research World.” Alcohol affects your bone marrow by causing structural abnormalities in the cells, which results in your bone marrow producing below normal levels of healthy blood cells. This is the reason alcoholics may have anemia and moderate to serious low platelet levels, notes Ballard.
Low Vitamin B-12
If your diet does not include foods that contain vitamin B-12, your body cannot make enough red bloods cells, resulting in low platelets. Vitamin B-12 deficiency is one cause of thrombocytopenia, according to the National Institutes of Health. Extreme cases of vitamin B-12 deficiency, also called pernicious anemia, can cause severe anemia, damage the heart, cause memory problems, digestive tract problems and stomach cancer. Your liver stores a certain amount of vitamin B-12, but if your diet is completely lacking in vitamin B-12, as with some vegetarians, you can become deficient. The daily recommended allowance of vitamin B-12 is 2.4 micrograms for anyone over 14 years of age. Foods containing vitamin B-12 include meat, fish, poultry and milk products. Some breakfast cereals are also fortified with B-12.
Low Iron
Iron-deficiency anemia is caused by blood loss or poor diet. It is a condition where your body has a lower than normal number of red blood cells and low platelets. Symptoms of iron deficiency include, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, cold hands or feet and can lead to irregular heartbeats, heart murmur or an enlarged heart. Vegetarian diets typically are low in foods containing iron, but if you eat the right foods, they can provide enough iron in your diet. Choose iron-fortified foods, such as cereals and breads. Green leafy vegetables, spinach, beans, tofu and dried fruits all contain iron. Eating meat, poultry and fish is the best source of iron, but you can also take an iron supplement if you do not eat meat regularly.
Excess Dietary Copper
A small amount of copper is important in a healthy diet, but excess copper in your body can cause anemia, low platelets and organ damage. Copper, when it builds up in your body, can cause jaundice or yellowing of your skin, swelling of your liver, bruising easily and fatigue. Excess copper in the diet or the genetic condition Wilson disease can cause low platelets. Copper toxicity is rare in the U.S. As of 2011, there is no RDA for copper, only a “safe and adequate range of copper intake” of 1.5 to 3.0 milligrams per day. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and proteins all contain trace amounts of copper.
References
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: What Is Thrombocytopenia?
- "Alcohol Health & Research World"; The Hematological Complications of Alcoholism; H.S. Ballard; 1997
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute; What is Pernicious Anemia?; April 2011
- MedlinePlus: Thrombocytopenia
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B12
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute; What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Iron-Deficiency Anemia?; April 2011
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute; What Causes Iron-Deficiency Anemia?; April 2011
