Nicola Roberts: Anaemia left me exhausted
The Girls Aloud singer almost collapsed on stage
Thursday, 28 September 2006
As the pouting redhead in Girls Aloud, Nicola Roberts has been labelled everything from ‘feisty’ to ‘stroppy diva’. But the truth is that her fear of seeming too demanding or pushy meant that a health issue she was struggling with went undiagnosed until it reached a serious crunch point.
Nicola suffered from iron deficiency anaemia, a disorder that affects the body’s red blood cells and can leave sufferers experiencing extreme fatigue and feeling faint. But her condition was only diagnosed when the situation got so bad that she was about to collapse before going on stage.
I was constantly hungry
‘It got to the point where, two minutes before we were due to perform, I was sending the floor manager to get me a McDonald’s meal because I felt so weak and dizzy,’ says Nicola. ‘I didn’t know what was wrong and the only thing I knew to do was to eat quick-fix foods to keep my energy up. Even from a very young age I’ve had to eat a lot for that reason.
‘Before I was in the band I used to dance all the time, so I put my constant hunger down to using up so much energy,’ she says. ‘Then I got into Girls Aloud and we were always on the go.
'I often felt really drained and I was asking to stop at McDonald’s for breakfast and lunch, followed by Burger King for dinner and then ordering room service at the end of the day! I’ve always had a very fast metabolism and I never put on an ounce of weight. But it was getting beyond a joke – I knew I wasn’t eating a healthy diet.
‘I hated demanding food before a performance and felt bad about putting people out, so I stopped asking. I often felt tearful and found it hard to concentrate. I had a very short fuse and wanted to be left on my own. That’s when I realised that I had to get to the bottom of the problem.’
I didn't want to make a fuss
But, for Nicola, even getting diagnosed was a struggle. ‘Doctors kept sending me away after telling me to rest and take vitamins. Although I knew something was wrong, I didn’t want to make a fuss, so I left it at that. Then my mum insisted on coming with me on yet another appointment and she put her foot down. As a result they gave me a blood test that showed up the iron deficiency – they admitted that I was an extreme case.’
Anaemia is a condition in which the blood can’t carry enough oxygen around the body because the concentration of the oxygen-carrying pigment haemoglobin is too low.
Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common type of the disorder in the UK. It results from a lack of iron in the body – the mineral that’s a vital component of haemoglobin. It can be caused by having too little iron in the diet, suffering from unusually heavy periods or losing a lot of weight. Pregnant women or those who are on a strict diet and exercise regime are more at risk, as are vegetarians.
Symptoms include feeling faint
Although she doesn’t diet and isn’t vegetarian, 21-year-old Nicola is at an age where iron deficiency often occurs – rapid growth spurts can also play a part. It’s an issue that’s relevant to all young women in the UK, as many are found to be lacking in iron.
The National Diet and Nutrition Survey found that 42 per cent of those aged between 15 and 18 and 33 per cent of those aged between 19 and 24 have low iron stores, which could lead to iron deficiency or even full-blown anaemia.
Symptoms include fatigue, feeling faint, becoming breathless easily, looking pale, as well as having a shortened attention span and difficulty concentrating. Less common symptoms include headaches, palpitations and ringing in the ears.
In addition, iron deficiency often has a knock-on effect on your immune system, which was the case for Nicola. ‘I only had to sit next to someone with a sore throat to catch it,’ she says.
‘Once diagnosed, I was put on iron supplements and it’s really helped – I need all the energy I can get. Now I do lots of exercise, have filled out to a healthier size and don’t have cravings any more.’
Foods rich in iron
• Red meat (beef, lamb, pork, offal)
• Poultry and oily fish
• Green leafy vegetables (watercress and kale)
• Vegetarians can get iron from beans, wholegrains and dried fruit
• Vitamin C helps iron absorption, so include fruit and fruit juice with meals
In the majority of cases an iron-rich diet should be sufficient to maintain healthy iron levels, but if you do choose to take supplements, current advice is not to have more than 17mg per day, as iron can be toxic in very large quantities. Try a multivitamin such as Wellwoman, £6.50 for 30 capsules, which contains12mg of iron – well within the recommended daily allowance.
Ali Agnew
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