How to Lower Hemoglobin – Tips and Natural Remedies!

First, you can find out your hemoglobin levels by taking a blood test. The normal hemoglobin values, which may vary slightly from one laboratory to another, usually have this reference:

• In men: 13 to 18 g / dL (grams per deciliter)
• In women: 12 to 16 g / dL (grams per deciliter)

Although values ​​higher than those indicated may indicate that the patient has high hemoglobin, lower values ​​may indicate low hemoglobin, that is, anemia. If after a blood test your hemoglobin values ​​have been very high or very low, it is important to consult with your doctor to find the causes behind the abnormal results.

On the other hand, glycosylated or glycosylated hemoglobin It is a value that is detected in diabetes tests and that indicates our levels of glucose or sugar in the blood. In this case, the healthy value of glycated hemoglobin should be less than 5.7%.

If the value is greater than 5.7%, the result may be indicative of prediabetes. People with prediabetes are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes and will likely need to monitor their glycosylated hemoglobin levels regularly. Now a value greater than 6.5% it’s a sign of type 2 diabetes^[1].

As we said earlier, the general reason why hemoglobin rises is because the body is asking for a greater capacity to carry oxygen. This can happen for any of the following causes:

• The patient smokes.
• The patient lives in a place of high altitude. The body naturally compensates for the lack of oxygen by producing more hemoglobin.
• The patient suffers from a lung or heart condition that forces the body to produce more hemoglobin due to oxygen deficiency.
• The patient has consumed substances or hormones that stimulate the production of red blood cells, such as erythropoietin.

However, other more serious, though less common, causes of increased hemoglobin in the blood also include:

• Dehydration
• Congenital heart disease.
• Emphysema: a chronic disease in which the alveoli, the air sacs in the lungs, are damaged causing the body to receive less oxygen.
• Lung cancer.
• Liver cancer.
• Polycythemia vera: a disease of the bone marrow that results in excess production of red blood cells.

If you want to find out more about the causes behind high hemoglobin, you can visit our article What are the causes of high hemoglobin.

Having high hemoglobin causes the blood to become more viscous, increasing the risk of formation blood clots, so it is very important to treat it promptly. In any case, if your hemoglobin levels are out of normal, a specialist doctor will be the most indicated to specify the causes behind its increase and indicate the most appropriate treatment to treat it.

The causes of high hemoglobin are varied and may not be related to each other. If the problem lies in a heart, lung, bone marrow or other body system condition, a specialist doctor will be in charge of diagnosing it and indicating the best treatment to treat disease and lower hemoglobin.

Certainly, tobacco use is one of the common causes of increased hemoglobin levels. Give up smoking and avoiding passive consumption helps significantly to lower hemoglobin in smoking patients.

In the case of people who live at a high level above the sea, it is recommended that they move to a place where the body can receive more oxygen. The same applies to climbers, hikers and mountaineers with hemoglobin problems.

On the other hand, red blood cell extraction, performed in a procedure similar to donating blood, may be the best option in cases where high hemoglobin poses a high risk of blood clots or other serious conditions.

From home, you can also build habits that help the body lower hemoglobin. Since hemoglobin is primarily a protein rich in iron, it is important monitor daily iron intake. In this sense, patients can:

• Avoid consuming multivitamins rich in iron.
• Watch the consumption of foods that contain high levels of iron, such as red meat and cereals or grains fortified with iron.
• Avoid cooking in iron pans.
• Take care of the iron level in the water.
• Limit the consumption of vitamin C to no more than 500 milligrams a day, as it is a vitamin that helps absorb iron.

Other measures to lower hemoglobin include, of course, give up smoking, especially for those who consume a large number of cigarettes a day. Stay hydrated it is also essential to keep hemoglobin at optimal levels.

Foods to lower hemoglobin

While eating foods rich in iron should be limited (not eliminated), what foods can help the body lower hemoglobin? The foods that inhibit iron absorption They are good companions to avoid increases in hemoglobin in the blood. Some of them are:

• Eggs: According to the American Institute for Iron Disorders, a hard-boiled egg can reduce iron absorption by up to 28% at each meal.
• Foods rich in calcium: It is an essential mineral also known for its quality as an inhibitor of iron absorption. Among the foods that contain calcium are milk, yogurt, cheese, broccoli, turnip greens, among others.
• Polyphenols: foods rich in this chemical compound are great inhibitors of iron. We can find it in cocoa, coffee, some tea herbs, apples, blackberries, blueberries, among others.
• Oxalates: They are salts that reduce the absorption of iron and are present in chocolate, nuts, strawberries, herbs such as oregano, basil and parsley. The presence of oxalate in spinach explains why, despite being rich in iron, it is not absorbed by the body.

Since both hydration and a good diet are crucial to have healthy hemoglobin values, juices can be excellent natural remedies for lowering hemoglobin. Juices made with ingredients that inhibit iron absorption are a good option.

Blueberry Spinach Smoothie

This shake has perfect ingredients for the reduction of hemoglobin in the blood. To prepare it, you only need 1/2 cup of plain yogurt, 1/2 cup of almond milk, 1 cup of frozen blueberries and 1 cup of spinach.

Spinach and Strawberry Smoothie

Another alternative is to add strawberries to the smoothie. The ingredients are 1 cup of spinach, 1 and a half cups of strawberries, 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, 1/2 tablespoon of honey, and 1/2 cup of water. By mixing everything together, you will have a delicious and healthy smoothie.

Apple and strawberry juice

A refreshing apple and strawberry juice is also a great alternative. It requires few ingredients, you only need 1 apple and a half, 200 grams of strawberries and water.

One of the most important tests for regulating diabetes is the evaluation of glycosylated or glycosylated hemoglobin, abbreviated as HbA1 and HbA1c. These tests reveal the level of glucose that has attached to the red blood cells in the last 8 to 12 weeks. The high glycosylated hemoglobin was detected 40 years ago as a symptom of diabetes and, since then, its measurement has become one of the essential methods for controlling the disease and even for its diagnosis^[2].

The test can be done at any hour of the day and it does not require special preparations such as fasting. Patients who need to assess whether they are at higher risk for diabetes can also have this test. In these cases, the glycosylated hemoglobin results will not be high enough to diagnose …