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Leading health professionals in the field of haematology have advised patients to be wary of advert claims on most blood tonics in the country, describing the information as misleading.
The haematologists declared that the use of the term ‘blood tonic’ should be discouraged, affirming that it is alien to scientific medicine.
The University of Lagos scholars described the use of the term ‘blood tonic’ as a marketing gimmick employed by the marketers of these products to persuade the public to buy them, insisting that most of the advertising claims surrounding blood tonic are laced with misinformation.
The blood transfusion specialists advised those experiencing tiredness to first go for a medical examination to find out the cause and treat it before consuming a blood tonic that their body may never need.
Mayo Clinic says lack of iron may lead to unusual tiredness, shortness of breath, a decrease in physical performance, and learning problems in children and adults, and may increase one’s chances of getting an infection.
It states that iron is a mineral that the body needs to produce red blood cells.
“When the body does not get enough iron, it cannot produce the number of normal red blood cells needed to keep you in good health. This condition is called iron deficiency (iron shortage) or iron deficiency anemia”, it adds.
The medical practitioners with over 30 years of experience who spoke with PUNCH Healthwise in separate, exclusive interviews warned that the abuse of vitamin and mineral supplements, some of which are laden with iron, is dangerous, though the supplements on their own are not harmful.
According to them, too much iron in the blood can have adverse consequences on the body and may also trigger fast aging and its associated complications, stressing that the doctor must prescribe the vitamins and minerals that are deficient in individuals complaining of tiredness after medical evaluation to ascertain the cause.
A professor of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Sulaimon Akanmu, identified haemorrhage, decreased red cell survival, and anaemia of bone marrow failure as three major things that could make a person anemic.
Akanmu, who is a Consultant Haematologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, also said factors that could raise one’s risk of anaemia include eating a diet that is low in iron, vitamins, or minerals, blood loss from surgery or an injury, serious illnesses, such as kidney disease, cancer, diabetes, and thyroid disease.
He noted that Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anaemia globally, including in Nigeria.
Giving insight into why the use of the term ‘blood tonic’ should be discouraged, the haematologist said, “I don’t know what blood tonic means when people say blood tonic. In my mind, I am assuming that they are referring to some vitamins and minerals like iron, copper, zinc, manganese, and vitamin B3 that may be required for blood formation or the formation of red blood cells. I assume that that is what they mean.
“If that is what they mean by blood tonic, it is only prescribed and required when in fact you are deficient in those vitamins or you are lacking some of these minerals like iron, manganese, and zinc in your blood.
“But the truth of the matter is that most of the adverts that you see out there talking about blood tonic, I think they are largely misinformation. It is true that if you are deficient in some vitamins and some minerals like iron you become anaemic. No doubt about that and what you need to take is those vitamins or minerals that you like or are deficient in.”
Akanmu pointed out that though tiredness could be a result of blood shortage, there could be other causes such as diseases and infections.
He said the reason why a person is losing blood should be investigated and addressed before taking any vitamins and mineral supplements for blood formation.
“As far as I am concerned, there is nothing like blood tonic. But I can tell you that it is not a blood tonic; you will call those things. You will get a prescription for the vitamins that we know you lack or the mineral element that we know you lack, and then you get treatment.
“So, blood tonic is a blanket statement that allows for people who don’t need extra of those vitamins and minerals to go and buy it. People just want to make money out of it. So, I think most of the time, it’s misinformation”, he said.
Speaking further on the possible causes of tiredness and anemia, the professor said, “It’s true if you are tired, you may be tired because you have a shortage of blood. But a thousand and one other things can cause tiredness.
“If you have overworked yourself, you will naturally become tired. If you have just an infection like malaria, you will be tired. And of course, if you have a significant illness like kidney disease, liver disease, or diseases of the lungs, you will become tired.
“A lot of diseases that you have actually manifest as tiredness and to lump everything together and say it is a blood shortage, and then you go and take blood tonic, it is misinformation and we have to be very careful.”
He went on, “So, I am afraid when people say blood tonic and I ask them what do you mean by blood tonic? How is it toning your blood?
“So, I think they are just trading gimmicks and I believe they should discourage the use of the word ‘blood tonic’. There is nothing like blood tonic in medicine as far as I am concerned because nothing is toning your blood.
” If the symptoms you have is tiredness and we investigate the tiredness and we find out that you have a shortage of blood, the next thing is what is the cause of this shortage of blood?
Akanmu concluded that though multivitamins and multivitamins help the enzymes in the body to function properly, the idea that it is a blood tonic is misleading because it does not boost the blood.
Corroborating the statement of his colleague, a Consultant Paediatric Haematologist, and Oncologist, Prof. Edamisan Temiye, also from LUTH,
said there is nothing like a blood tonic.
The haematologist said, “We don’t prescribe blood tonic to anybody. There is nothing like that and it can be dangerous at times.
” If somebody has a shortage of blood, you must find out the cause of the shortage of blood and treat it.
” It can be caused by malaria because malaria lowers the blood level. But it can be dangerous for somebody who has cancer. No doctor will write blood tonic for you if he knows what he is doing. None.”
