I just had some blood work done, and the RBC was 4.67 (on the low side of the scale 4.1-5.6 (some internet sites list a higher scale)) and hemoglobin was 13.7 (scale 12.5-17). I thought the counts should be higher, considering all the training (static tables, underwater hockey, plenty of diving). So, I had a bunch of questions, and any answers would be much appreciated.
Isn't freediving training supposed to produce high hemoglobin in the blood? I have only been training in earnest for about four months. How quickly/slowly do the hemoglobin counts change? Is it possible that four months is just not long enough to see any significant increases?
Is there a chance I have been overtraining, resulting in lower than normal counts? Do the hemoglobin counts change from day to day, so that perhaps it was just a bad day?
How long could I expect it to take to improve my hemoglobin counts? I have been eating smoked clams (which on the box purport to contain 100% RDA of iron), and soy protein shakes. I browsed the internet, and found all kinds of information about diet to improve iron that started to sound like voodoo science. I mean, couple years ago I was trekking in Nepal, and the sherpas there (who I am told have hemoglobin counts off the charts), were unbelievably fit. I was in top shape, but at around 4,500m I was seriously dragging. These sherpaswould fly by me carrying four, five times as much gear. And, this is the amazing part, all they eat is dol bat, I don't know if I spelled that right but it's just rice and beans. This makes me wonder how much a role diet really plays.
Some of these internet sites made some crazy claims, like over-hydradation lowers RBC (never heard that you could drink too much water), coffee and tea can reduce iron absorbtion by 50%, and soy protein can inhibit iron absorbtion. Seems like you have to plan your diet like the national budget to stave off anemia, but I keep thinking of those sherpas. Dol bat! That's all they eat.
Once again, any suggestions or leads on good sources of information would be much appreciated.
Michael
Isn't freediving training supposed to produce high hemoglobin in the blood? I have only been training in earnest for about four months. How quickly/slowly do the hemoglobin counts change? Is it possible that four months is just not long enough to see any significant increases?
Is there a chance I have been overtraining, resulting in lower than normal counts? Do the hemoglobin counts change from day to day, so that perhaps it was just a bad day?
How long could I expect it to take to improve my hemoglobin counts? I have been eating smoked clams (which on the box purport to contain 100% RDA of iron), and soy protein shakes. I browsed the internet, and found all kinds of information about diet to improve iron that started to sound like voodoo science. I mean, couple years ago I was trekking in Nepal, and the sherpas there (who I am told have hemoglobin counts off the charts), were unbelievably fit. I was in top shape, but at around 4,500m I was seriously dragging. These sherpaswould fly by me carrying four, five times as much gear. And, this is the amazing part, all they eat is dol bat, I don't know if I spelled that right but it's just rice and beans. This makes me wonder how much a role diet really plays.
Some of these internet sites made some crazy claims, like over-hydradation lowers RBC (never heard that you could drink too much water), coffee and tea can reduce iron absorbtion by 50%, and soy protein can inhibit iron absorbtion. Seems like you have to plan your diet like the national budget to stave off anemia, but I keep thinking of those sherpas. Dol bat! That's all they eat.
Once again, any suggestions or leads on good sources of information would be much appreciated.
Michael