How To Naturally Boost Your Blood Platelets
Apart from red blood cells and white blood cells, platelets are a critical component of blood composition. Per Cleveland Clinic, a healthy adult has about 1% platelets in the blood plasma. An average adult has around 150,000 to 450,000 platelets in one microliter of blood. According to American Red Cross, platelets are small, colorless cells that bind together at the spot of an injury or wound to stop bleeding. John Hopkins Medicine describes their original shape as resembling that of a plate; hence, given the name platelets.
Once they get a signal, platelets immediately flock toward the injury site, grow out tentacles (similar to an octopus), and attach to the bleeding region. Platelets grow in a person's bone marrow, and several conditions may result in a low or high platelets count. Thrombocytopenia is a condition that causes low platelet count, which may result in serious bleeding (via Cleveland Clinic). In severe cases, you may be at risk of a heart attack. It may be caused by diseases like leukemia or anemia, reaction to chemotherapy, heavy drinking, or infections like dengue or HIV, as per Mayo Clinic. If you have low platelet count, here are some tips to boost them at home.
Tips to increase blood platelets
The best and easiest way to boost the blood platelet count at home is by paying attention to your diet. Medical News Today suggests eating more foods with folates (vitamin B9) such as beef liver, rice, dark green leafy veggies, and yeast. Moreover, you may want to add fortified cereals to your daily diet as they carry added nutrients. In addition, it is important to get sufficient vitamin B12 (via Healthline). You can get ample Vitamin B12 from meat sources, eggs, and seafood. Many dairy products like milk and cheese may also be helpful in boosting your vitamin B12 levels.
Mayo Clinic also recommends limiting your alcohol intake as it might interfere with proper platelet growth. In addition, Healthgrades suggests consuming more citrus foods rich in vitamin C to boost your blood platelet counts. That's because vitamin C plays a key role in improving the function of platelets and helping your body absorb iron more efficiently. Some people also try various herbal supplements or remedies to boost platelet count naturally. For instance, according to Healthline, eating pills with papaya-leaf extracts or drinking them directly accelerates the growth of platelets.