total cereal

Question
I'm a 60 yr old male and may or may not be deficient in either iron or possibly B12. I'd be reluctant taking an iron supplement since I don't know for sure. "Total" cereal contains 100% of these and other vitamins and minerals. If I were to eat just one serving a day, would I really be getting what I need? Thanks

Answer
Hi Lee,

I'm curious as to why you think you may have a deficiency. If it's from a poor diet, then taking 100% of the daily value may be helpful, and you can get it in a bowl of Total or a multivitamin/mineral supplement.

If there is a deficiency because of a physiological cause, you'll want to figure out (ideally have your doctor figure out) whether it's a problem with digestion, absorption or some other issue. Usually the issue needs to be straightened out, along with supplements that exceed the normal daily recommendations by a few hundred percent.

Your best bet is to get yourself to a respectable physician and have the necessary tests, beginning with blood tests. If you're deficient because of a B12 absorption issue you'll want to get it diagnosed and treated right away since long-term consequences, such as nerve damage, can be irreversible.

And at your age you also need to consider the chance that a slow internal bleed, leading to a chronic anemia, could be an early symptom of colon cancer.

I don't mean to alarm you, but there are some life-threatening conditions associated with both iron and B12 deficiencies, so it would be smart to get yourself checked out thoroughly and soon. Taking supplements when you aren't sure what the root cause is can be more harmful than helpful.

Let me know how it goes.

Laurie

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