We have all heard of the mineral iron, and we know it's crucial for our body, as we need it daily, primary for servicing oxygen to the tissues. Of course it has a lot of other functions, but without iron, we will be dead. Most people know about the importance of iron requirement in the body, but how about excess of iron storage? Today, we are going to talk about iron deficiency and overload.
Thinking back, I recalled some of my relatives are taking daily multivitamins as well as iron supplements. But does one realize that these typical supplements contain a toxic inorganic iron compound which could harm the body? First of all, let's talk about the role of iron in the body and how does it work. This mineral, is crucial, as the body cannot produce it, just the same with other minerals and Vitamin C. It is an essential element to virtually every living species on earth. Plants requires iron to make chlorophyll and humans requires iron to make haemoglobin and myoglobin.
It binds with haemoglobin, and required for the production of red blood cells. We need a significant amount of iron for proper respiratory function, and without oxygen, we would drop dead. Apart from that, we need iron to convert blood sugar to energy. Iron is also vital for production of neurotransmitters and healthy immune functions. How do we obtain iron for daily requirement? Well, apart from foods, iron is also found in rock and sea salts. We can also lose iron from sweating and urination.
The question is, how do I know if I'm iron deficient? What are the symptoms? Some of you might suffer from iron-deficiency anemia, but not many people know about diseases/symptoms related to iron overload. Iron, can your your friend, but it can also be your foe and cause serious problems to the body. When one is iron deficient, he or she would likely to experience symptoms such as poor stamina, fatigue, shortness of breath, and immune system will not function properly. Iron deficiency has affected up to 2 billion people around the world. Patients suffering from different forms of anemias, especially children and pre-menopausal women. Meanwhile, low thyroid function (hypothyroidism) can also result in deficiency in iron, due to lowered production of stomach acid, leading to malabsorption in iron. Most common cause of iron deficiency is due to poor diet and nutrition. Frequent diarheaa, urination and also excessive sweating could also cause loss of minerals including iron.
Now, how about too much of iron? Although iron is important for vital functions in the body, excess of iron storage can actually lead to health symptoms, diseases and even death. In fact, most conventional doctors often overlooked and ignored mild iron elevated levels in blood panel test. As of today, we have learned that some of the medical conditions could cause iron overload. Some of them includes hereditary hemochromatosis, beta-thalessemia, sickle-cell anemia, viral hepatitis and also alcohol abuse. Apart from that, other factors includes processed foods fortified with iron and iron supplements can contribute to iron overload in prolonged period of time. One main worry about iron, it is a powerful catalyst for oxidation, meaning it could cause oxidative stress damaging the tissues. Thus, free radicals can form more then it should be, and the risk of heart disease and even cancer may be elevated.
Bear in mind, most of the iron in the body are bind to ferritin. This iron-storage protein is found in spleen, liver, muscles, bone marrow, etc. High levels of ferritin can cause tissue damage such as Type 1 Diabetes. If high levels of iron is stored in the body, one of the solution is to donate blood, to clear out some of the excess iron. Also, in most cases, patients who developed Hepatitis C (one of liver diseases) have iron overload and is often misdiagnosed by conventional doctors. Iron overload is also known to cause glucose intolerance and reduces insulin production and increases insulin sensitivity. Study (below) has shown that higher levels of ferritin increases the blood glucose level and higher risk of developing diabetes.
Iron can also cause neuronal damage in the central nervous system and excessive levels have been found in the brain's of Parkinson's patients and plaques in patients with Alzheimer's. Meanwhile, for whoever thought that taking iron supplements such as Ferrous sulfate, it is a toxic inorganic compound which can cause more problems then doing any good to the body. Stay away from this so called iron supplement. A safe form of iron supplement would be carbonyl iron. My takeaway, DO NOT take any multivitamins or iron supplements before you perform the complete iron profile test (as below). Consult a naturopathic doctors, naturopaths or even clinical nutritionist to review the results with you, as you might get different lab range reviews with most conventional doctors (if the lab or hospital able to run those tests). It is one of the most important lab tests which is worth your investment, even though if they are not covered by your insurance.
Symptoms of iron overload:
- Fatigue (most common)
- Loss of libido / Impotence
- Palpitations
- Abdominal Pains
- Depression
- Joints Pain
What tests to run: (Do a complete iron panel test)
- Ferritin blood test (ideally 40-100)
- Serum iron
- Total Iron Binding Capacity
- Unsaturated Iron Binding Capacity (should not be below 150)
- % Saturation (or transferrin saturation) (ideally below 50%)
What if you have iron overload?
- Get prescription from doctor for therapeutic phlebotomy
- Blood donation
- Lactoferrin
For people with iron-deficient, what are the best source of foods?
- Animal Liver (especially beef)
- Venison
- Mussels
- Lamb (ideally grass-fed free range)
- Beef (ideally grass-fed free range)
- Shrimp
- Pork
Journals:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1521431/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19678601
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15660507
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15561674
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14633776
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17488680
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23082485
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12637325
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17540536
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16493621
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