SEOUL, July 10 (Korea Bizwire) Every summer, many young women go on a strict diet in hopes of wearing a bikini to show off their hot body at the beach.

But there seems to be a downside other than the painful hunger. According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service(HIRAS), many teenage girls come to the hospital because of nutritional anemia caused by excessive dieting.

Nutritional anemia occurs when the body lacks nutrients such as iron, vitamins and folic acid, leading to a decline in red blood cells.

Most of the patients are women, as women need large quantities of iron because of menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth.

The number of patients with nutritional anemia starts to increase from May, and usually peaks in July and August. The increase is significant, as the number of teenage girls who have nutritional anemia doubles in the summer.

From January to May, the number of teenage female anemia patients is usually around 2,000, increasing to 3,500 inJune, 4,050 inJuly and peaking in August at4,523. The number returns to 2,000 by October.

Officials at the HIRAS say, “Young girls seem to have nutritional anemia because of excessive dieting before the summer. They are not eating enough food to provide basic nutrients.”

Jo Gyung-Sam from the HIRAS advises, “Even if you reduce food consumption in an attempt to lose weight before the summer, it is important that your iron, vitamin and folic acid intake does not reach a deficiency.”

By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)