Vitamin B-12 is one of eight B vitamins. It exists in several forms collectively known as cobalamin. You get B-12 in your diet from animal foods. Beef, pork, fish, dairy and eggs are primary sources. Optimal B-12 levels are important to your...
Blood glucose monitoring is the best way to keep your diabetes under control and help you stay healthy. To do that, you'll need to know your daily blood glucose numbers, target goals, the factors that can cause fluctuations and also what symptoms...
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for the health of your red blood cells and nerve cells. It also helps make DNA and binds to the protein you get from food. Most people get vitamin B12 from the foods they eat or through...
Vitamin B-12 and folic acid are B vitamins that work together to form red blood cells. Red blood cells deliver oxygen throughout the body, and anemia is a condition characterized by inadequate healthy red blood cells. Because both vitamin B-12...
The blood is composed of cellular and liquid portions. Red blood cells, also known as erythrocytes, carry oxygen. A condition of lower red blood cell counts is called anemia, a condition that can cause weakness, fatigue and pale skin. Anemia is...
Low blood pressure, also known as hypotension, refers to a condition in which not enough blood is flowing through your body. The most common symptoms of low blood pressure include dizziness, fainting, nausea and trouble breathing. At its worst,...
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a widespread inflammatory disorder characterized by severe aches and stiffness in the muscles. The disease affects approximately 700 out of every 100,000 Americans over the age of 50, according to the National...
The immune system has been described as an army of white blood cells that protect our bodies from antigens. Antigens are harmful substances like bacteria, viruses, cancer cells, toxins, or foreign blood or tissue. In people who have an autoimmune...
In 2007, approximately 23.6 million Americans had diabetes, according to Umesh Masharani, M.B., Professor of Medicine at the University of California in "Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment." Insulin moves glucose out of the blood and into...
Dizziness can be symptomatic of many conditions and disorders. One of the most prevalent is iron deficiency anemia, also called anemia. According to the Iron Disorders Institute, iron deficiency anemia is the most prevalent nutritional deficiency...
Diabetes is a condition that causes blood glucose levels to be elevated. Monitoring blood glucose helps diabetics avoid some of the complications of this disease, which include heart disease and vision problems. Blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c...
Several nutrients are required to produce red blood cells in your body, including iron, vitamin B-12, folic acid, vitamin C and erythropoietin. A decrease in red blood cells, referred to as anemia, occurs with excessive bleeding, red blood cell...
A healthy body generates a normal supply of red blood cells from certain nutrients that it gets from foods. If a blood test has shown that your red blood cell count is low, improving your diet can help bring it up to par. Although your doctor may...
Yes, gastritis describes different diseases, not just one disease. It could refer to various conditions that are all related to the inflammation of the stomach lining as a result of bacterial infection. Gastritis can be caused by prolonged use of...
Everyone reacts differently to the powerful chemotherapy drugs that are most effective for killing cancer cells. The drugs attack the fatal diseased cells but create side effects because they damage and kill healthy cells at the same time....
Malabsorption is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to absorb and use nutrients. Afflicted persons may experience a wide range of symptoms, depending upon the nutrient deficiencies. Symptoms may be gastrointestinal in nature, but may...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, iron is a mineral that your body needs for many cellular functions. Lack of sufficient iron is known as anemia, and iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional...
A hypoactive thyroid is where the thyroid, located at the base of the neck, produces too little of the hormone thyroxine. The Thyroid Foundation of America (TFA) reports how the hormones produced by the thyroid send a signal to every cell in the...
Vitamin E is an essential nutrient involved in cellular signaling as well as control over dilation of your blood vessels. It is also an antioxidant, helping to protect your body from chemicals linked to cellular aging. A vitamin E deficiency can...
Sickle cell disease is an inherited condition that distorts the shape and prevents the normal functioning of red blood cells. Sickle cell disease is usually diagnosed by a blood test after an infant is 4-months-old. In the United States, the...
Lactoferrin is the most abundant protein in human milk. Without it, your body would be more susceptible to infection from bacteria and viruses. You might also lose critical iron stores to these invaders. Supplementation of lactoferrin may be...
Customarily called urinalysis, urine analysis is an inexpensive way to recognize and monitor disease. This is so effective large populations are screened using this technique. For example, a 2007 paper published by researchers from the Osaka...
A complete blood count, also known as a CBC, is a common blood test. The test measures the number of white cells and the number of red cells in a measure of blood. The test also measures the amount of hemoglobin in the red cells, the ratio of red...
Red blood cells are produced in your bone marrow and carry oxygen throughout your body. Low red blood cell counts can be the result of illness, treatment for conditions like cancer, chronic bleeding or nutritional deficiencies. Without an...
Low testosterone or low T is a condition where a man's body does not produce sufficient amounts of the hormone testosterone. The American Diabetes Association reports that men who have diabetes are twice as likely to have low T compared to men who...
Blood is a major biological product produced by your body that is essential to human life. Blood contains a variety of cellular and non-cellular components. Red blood cells are the primary method used by the body to exchange oxygen for carbon...
Iron is the most abundant mineral on Earth and the most abundant trace mineral in your body, according to "Nutrition and You" by Joan Salge Blake. Iron helps your body build red blood cells and is a vital component of hemoglobin, the protein...
Acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, is a common type of leukemia, according to the National Marrow Donor Program. Bone marrow is responsible for making white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. With AML, the bone marrow produces immature cells...
Aplastic anemia is a disorder in which a person's bone marrow does not produce sufficient red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, which transport oxygen, fight infections and allow blood to clot, respectively. Children with aplastic...
