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How to Increase Red Blood Cell count: Food items and supplements to include in your diet

Dr. Rashmi ByakodiJun 23, 2024

Do you feel tired all the time, even after a good night's sleep? Do you feel like fainting or dizzy for no apparent reason? If yes, then you might have Anaemia, a condition that happens when your Red Blood Cell (RBC) count is low. To overcome this problem, you need to include nutrient-rich food items in your diet. A good diet can help significantly in haemoglobin synthesis and RBC production. Keep reading to learn more about which food items and supplements are best for increasing your RBC count.

Contents

What is the Red Blood Cell count?
Causes of low RBC count
How to increase Red Blood Cell count
What level of low RBC is concerning?
Supplements to increase Red Blood Cell Counts
The bottom line
Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Red Blood Cell count?

Red Blood Cells, also known as erythrocytes, are the most common cells found in blood and formed in the bone marrow. Red Blood Cells contain an element called haemoglobin that transports oxygen to different parts of your body. Besides transporting oxygen, it transports carbon dioxide from the cells to the lungs, which gets released as you exhale. Red Blood Cell Count means the number of red blood cells present in your blood. The normal RBC Count in males is 4.7 to 6.1 million cells per cubic millimetre (million cells/mm3), and in females, it is 4.2 to 5.4 million cells/mm3. Further, the haemoglobin count in adult males should be 14 to 18 g/dl (grams per decilitre), and in females, it should be 12 to 16 g/dl.

When your RBC Count is low, the oxygen supply gets disrupted in your body. This condition results in a serious complication known as Anaemia. The symptoms of Anaemia include the following.

Shortness of breath
Extreme fatigue
Muscle weakness
Lack of energy
Pale skin
Dizziness
Chest pain
Heart palpitation
High risk of infection

If you encounter any of these symptoms of Anaemia, contact your doctor immediately. Anaemia can put you at risk of many serious complications, and sometimes it may prove to be life-threatening if timely treatment measures are not taken.

Causes of low RBC count

There could be many reasons for a lower blood count, from chronic diseases to external factors.

If you body begins to destroy red blood more than its producing it
Extreme blood loss
Aplastic anemia
Cancer
Some medications
Chronic kidney disease
Hypothyroidism
Iron deficiency
Lead poisoning

How to increase Red Blood Cell count

Your body requires certain vital nutrients to make Red Blood Cells. These nutrients include iron, copper, folate, vitamin A, B12, C, and vitamin E. Consuming a diet containing these nutrients may help you increase your Red Blood Cell Count. The food items that contain these nutrients are mentioned below.

1. Iron

Consuming iron-rich foods daily helps increase the Red Blood Cell Count because iron is an essential component for Red Blood Cells production. Iron deficiency causes Anaemia. The best iron-rich foods, along with their iron content, are listed below.

Food items	Portion Size (in grams)	Milligram mg)/portion
Pork Liver	125	24.4
Mutton	150	3.3
Shrimps	100	1.8
Oats	60	2.7
Muesli	50	1.7
Spinach	150	4.6
Chickpeas	150	3.3
Green peas	250	2.5
Beetroot	150	1.2
Pistachios	60	4.4
Cashews	60	3.8
Tofu	100	2.8
Whole grain rice (boiled)	180	2.2
Millet (cooked)	80	2.1

2. Copper

Copper is an essential nutrient that helps you utilise iron in your blood. Copper deficiency may lead to an imbalance of iron levels in your body. The foods that are rich sources of copper are listed here.

Food items	Portion Size	Microgram (mcg)/portion
Oysters	85 g	12,400
Potatoes	1 medium size	675
Shiitake mushrooms	½ cup	650
Cashews	28 g	629
Crabs	85 g	624
Sunflower seeds	¼ cup	615
Dark chocolate	28 g	501
Tofu	½ cup	476
Chickpeas	½ cup	289
Millet (cooked)	1 cup	280
Avocados (raw)	½ cup	219
Dried figs	½ cup	214
Spinach (cooked)	½ cup	157

3. Folate

Also known as vitamin B9, folate helps in the production of Red Blood Cells. The best sources of folate are as follows.

Food items	Portion Size	Microgram (mcg) DFE/portion
Spinach (cooked)	½ cup	215
Fortified breakfast cereal	1 cup	100
Asparagus (boiled)	4 spears	89
Brussels sprouts (boiled)	½ cup	78
Lettuce	1 cup	64
Avocados	½ cup	59
Broccoli (cooked)	½ cup	52
Green peas (cooked)	½ cup	47
Kidney beans	½ cup	46
Wheat germ oil	2 tablespoons	40

4. Vitamin A (Retinol)

Vitamin A may support iron absorption and metabolism to avert Anaemia. Foods high in vitamin A are as follows.

Food items	Portion Size	Microgram (mcg) RAE/portion
Liver (cooked)	85 grams	6582
Sweet potatoes (baked)	1 whole	1403
Spinach (cooked)	½ cup	573
Pumpkin (pie)	1 piece	488
Carrots raw	½ cup	459
Skimmed milk added with vitamin A and D	1 cup	149
Ricotta cheese (skimmed)	½ cup	133
Sweet red bell peppers, raw	½ cup	117
Breakfast cereal fortified with vitamin A	1 serving	90
Boiled egg	1 large	75
Apricots	5 apricots	63
Broccoli (boiled)	½ cup	60

5. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)

Vitamin B6 helps increase mean plasma and RBC magnesium levels significantly. It also elevates Red Blood Cell Count considerably. Vitamin B6 can be obtained in a wide variety of foods, including these.

Food items	Portion Size	Milligram (mg) /portion
Chickpeas	1 cup	1.1
Chicken breast (roasted)	85 grams	0.5
Breakfast cereals fortified with vitamin B6	1 serving	0.4
Potatoes (boiled)	1 cup	0.4
Turkey meat (roasted)	85 grams	0.4
Banana	1 medium	0.4
Bulgur wheat (cooked)	1 cup	0.2
Cottage cheese low fat	1 cup	0.2
Squash (baked)	½ cup	0.2

7. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)

Although vitamin C is not directly involved with Red Blood Cells, it plays a significant role in iron absorption, just like copper. Since the body cannot store vitamin C, it is required on a per-day basis. Vitamin C can be found in these food items.

Food items	Portion Size	Milligram(mg) /portion
Red bell pepper sweet (raw)	½ cup	95
Orange juice	¾ cup	93
Grapefruit juice	¾ cup	70
Kiwifruit	1 medium	64
Green bell pepper sweet (raw)	½ cup	60
Broccoli (cooked)	½ cup	51
Strawberries	½ cup	49
Brussels sprouts (cooked)	½ cup	48
Tomato juice	¾ cup	33
Cabbage (cooked)	½ cup	28
Cauliflower (raw)	½ cup	26

8. Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect Red Blood Cells from oxidative damage. Vitamin E can be obtained from these food items.

Food items	Portion Size	Milligram(mg) /portion
Wheat germ oil	1 tablespoon	20.3
Sunflower seeds	28 grams	7.4
Almonds	28 grams	6.8
Hazelnuts	28 grams	4.3
Peanut butter	2 tablespoons	2.9
Roasted peanuts	28 grams	2.2
Spinach(cooked)	½ cup	1.9
Broccoli (cooked)	½ cup	1.2

What level of low RBC is concerning?

RBC counts that are below the below mentioned readings need attention:

4.7 for men
4.2 for women
4.1 for children.

Supplements to increase Red Blood Cell Counts

If you are not getting a sufficient amount of nutrients from your diet, supplements can help enhance the Red Blood Cell Count in your body. But before adding any supplements to your regimen, you must consult your healthcare professional. It is also important to understand the recommended dosage.

The table mentioned below shows the recommended amount of nutrients necessary for the human body to maintain an optimal Red Blood Cell Count.

Name of the Nutrient	Age (in Years)	Recommended dietary allowance per day (Female)	Recommended dietary allowance per day (Male)
Iron	19 to 50 years	18 mg	8 mg
Copper	19 years and older	900 mcg	900 mcg
Folate	19 years and older	400 mcg DFE*	400 mcg DFE*
Vitamin A (retinol)	19 years and older	700 mcg RAE#	900 mcg RAE#
Vitamin B6	19 to 50 years	1.3 mg	1.3 mg
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)	19 years and older	2.4 mcg	2.4 mcg
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)	19 years and older	75 mg	90 mg
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	14 years and older	15 mg	15 mg

*DFE: Dietary folate equivalents

#RAE: Retinol activity equivalents

Other than diet and supplements, some lifestyle modifications like incorporating walking, cycling, jogging, swimming, and aerobics exercises in your daily routine and cutting down on alcohol intake can help elevate your Red Blood Cell Count.

The bottom line

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s a list of common questions and answers related to increasing in RBC count.

How can I increase my Red Blood Cell Count?

Iron is the key element in increasing Red Blood Cell Count. You need to include some iron-rich foods like pork liver, mutton, shrimp, fish, oats, muesli, spinach, chickpeas, cabbage, beetroot, and pistachios in your diet to elevate your Red Blood Cell Count.

Which vitamins are responsible for increasing Red Blood Cell Count in the body?

Vitamins such as A, B6, B9, B12, C, and E help optimise the Red Blood Cell levels in the body.

Sources

Disclaimer: The content on this page is generic and shared only for informational and explanatory purposes. It is based on several secondary sources on the internet. Please consult a doctor before making any health-related decisions.