The most commonly encountered cause of nutritional anemia is iron-deficiency anemia, which is found in infants, the elderly, and middle-aged women. Iron is a nutrient found in food which when ingested is absorbed in the duodenum and upper jejunum. From the digestive system iron is then transported to: 1) the bone marrow for hemoglobin synthesis, 2) Needy tissues such as muscle for myoglobin synthesis, and 3) Reticuloendothelial cells in the Liver to be stored as ferritin and hemosiderin until released for use in the bone marrow to form new RBCs (Eckman et al, 2013).

Iron is an essential part of hemoglobin, myoglobin, cytochrome, and peroxidases due to its role in the structure of heme; hemoglobin stores about 1.5-2.5 g of iron. Iron absorption occurs in the duodenum and is regulated strictly to avoid toxic iron accumulation or deficiency. Oxidation and reduction reactions are necessary for iron to be absorbed, transported, and metabolized. The daily need of an adult is about one milligram of iron, which is satisfied by the daily intake of iron salts and the intake of up to about 10-20 mg iron. The type of food, for example, meat, is an important factor affecting the bioavailability of iron.  Other factors include promoters, acidity increases iron absorption or inhibitors (Alaliwi et al., 2018).

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