Iron is a metal that has been used for centuries as a cure for anemia. Medical professionals and scientists have been studying this mineral and its impact on our health, especially when it is out of balance. The World Health Organization reported that iron-deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional imbalance in the world. And it is a serious global public health problem that particularly affects young children and pregnant women (WHO n.d.). This blog will focus on the trace mineral iron that is needed for growth, energy production and immune protection. It will discuss iron’s role in the body, types of dietary sources, nutritional iron deficiency, deficiency causes and symptoms, as well as useful tips to increase iron intake absorption.
Our bodies need many minerals that are elements naturally found on the earth which are automatically integrated in foods that are needed for growth, health, and development. About 18 minerals are called essential in nutrition (see Table 1. for the list of minerals). Essential minerals are divided into 2 groups:
1) Major minerals (macrominerals) and
2) Minor (microminerals or trace) minerals
In the major minerals group, our bodies need more than 100 mg every day and in the minor minerals, our bodies need less than 100 mg per day. For example, iron is a trace mineral, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for adults 19-50 years is 8 mg daily for men, 18 mg for women, 27 mg for pregnant women, and 9 mg for lactation.
Adolescents 14-18 years actively growing also need higher iron: 11 mg for boys, 15 mg for girls, 27 mg for pregnancy, and 10 mg for lactation. The RDA for women 51 years and older drops to 8 mg with the assumption that menopause has occurred (Harvard, n.d.)
Though the amounts of trace minerals needed in the body are small, that does not mean they are not important. Trace minerals impact the entire body through various interactions with enzymes or hormones that regulate many physiological functions. A healthy balanced dietary eating pattern usually provides all the essential minerals our bodies need.
Iron’s Role in the body
Everyone needs iron, it is important to maintain healthy blood for especially pregnant women, breastfeeding women, women up to age 50, babies, children, and teenagers. Iron is needed to make a protein called hemoglobin. Hemoglobin enables the red blood cells to fill with oxygen and carry it into the cells. Hemoglobin is like a transportation vessel that’s moving oxygen all over the body. Iron is also needed for myoglobin, the type of hemoglobin in muscle tissue, as well as the production of many enzymes.
Iron-Deficiency vs Iron-Deficiency Anemia
Iron-deficiency (ID) is the precursor of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA). Iron-deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia are two very different concepts. There are various forms of anemia, which mean insufficient red blood cells in the body, or when there is not enough iron in the blood. Anemia is a symptom, not a diagnosis. There are dozens of reasons that can lead to anemia, iron-deficiency anemia is only one of them. That’s why medical professionals and scientists must run lab tests to find out the root cause of the imbalance. Health professionals used various tests to differentiate between causes. The group of population at higher risk for deficiency are routinely checked for iron-deficiency anemia. Hemoglobin which is the iron-containing protein in the blood is the tests most often used to detect iron deficiency, also serum ferritin, which indicates the amount of iron stored in the body, and serum iron and iron-binding capacity (IBC, UIBC or TIBC) (Iron Disorders Institute, 2022).
Signs/Symptoms and Causes
Signs of iron deficiency include:
· Chronic Fatigue, weakness
· Pale skin and fingernails
· Dizziness
· Pica: cravings for ice, soap, dirt, clay, or other non-food items
· Poor sleep
· Memory loss
· Loss of sex drive
· Headache
· Glossitis (inflamed tongue)
· Prone to infection
Iron deficiency can occur from many factors such as low consumption of iron rich foods, intestinal bleeding, poor digestion due to leaky gut (Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, or irritable bowel syndrome), ulcers, eating lots of meat leading to high phosphorus intake, people who have recently had surgery, people with kidney disease, prolong use of antacids, excessive coffee, or black tea drinking habit. Also, short menstrual cycles, or heavy and prolonged periods during menstruation and pregnant women.
Types of Dietary Iron
Studies have shown that eating enough iron rich foods help prevent iron-deficiency anemia. There are two types of dietary iron: heme (heem) and nonheme (see Table 1).
Heme iron: according to the National Cancer Institute, heme is the part of certain molecules that contains iron. The heme part of hemoglobin is the substance that colors blood red, it also binds to oxygen in the lungs and carries it to all parts of the body. Most of the heme iron we consume comes from animals’ sources such as beef, poultry, fish... red meat has a higher concentration of heme iron. And it is much easier for the body to absorb.
Nonheme iron is the most common type of iron. It is found predominantly in plant foods such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, leafy greens, and fortified foods. It is harder for the body to absorb.
Several factors influence the bioavailability of dietary iron (see Table 3 for Food that Interfere with Iron Absorption). The rates of iron absorption depend on the status of the person. For example, someone with iron deficiency will absorb iron at a higher rate than an individual without iron deficiency. Eating fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C at the same meal with a good source of iron will increase absorption. Similarly, consuming dairy products at the same meal will decrease the absorption of iron. This is important especially for parents with young children who are drinking a lot of milk and not eating enough iron rich foods, they can experience low iron. It is recommended that children 2 to 5 years old should drink no more than 24 ounces of milk per day.
Iron is best taken in combination with vitamin C (for example, eating an orange) and in the morning on an empty stomach or at an interval of two hours after a meal. In the book, Drug Muggers, “Which Medications Are Robbing Your Body of Essential Nutrients – and Natural Ways to Restore Them”, Registered Pharmacist Suzy Cohen wrote that iron is so important to your energy level that without enough of this metal, you will develop hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone). The body needs an adequate amount of iron for inactive precursor thyroid hormone (T4) to be converted into the active, energizing thyroid hormone (T3). It is important to have appropriate testing and be educated on the possible food and drug interaction that can compromise iron absorption.
Iron alone is not enough to keep the body at a constant iron imbalance. There are various factors that play crucial roles in regulating iron levels in the body. Factors such as genetics, medications, dietary intake, environmental and economic factors, blood loss, disease, blood transfusion and many other nutrients. Iron imbalance is more than eating iron rich food or taking iron supplements (Iron Disorders Institute, 2022). Even though the World Health Organization considers iron deficiency the number one nutritional disorder worldwide, it is not recommended to frequently take iron supplements without prescription simply because of fatigue. Iron overconsumption can be hard on the gut lining, causing nausea, cramping, and diarrhea or constipation. However, if lab testing demonstrates a deficiency in iron, then iron supplement is appropriate and must be taken as prescribed.
Healthy regards,
Bid-Lose
References:
Cohen, S. (2011). Drug Muggers, “Which Medications Are Robbing Your Body of Essential Nutrients – and Natural Ways to Restore Them”. Rodale
Harvard School of Public Health (n.d.). The Nutrition Source: Iron. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/iron/
Hirsh, S. (2019). What Is Heme? Impossible Foods’ Magic Ingredient Has Caused Some Controversy. https://www.greenmatters.com/p/what-is-heme-impossible-foods
Iron Disorders Institute (n.d.). Guide to Anemia. https://irondisorders.org/iron-deficiency-anemia/
Medline Plus. (2022). Minerals Definitions. https://medlineplus.gov/definitions/mineralsdefinitions.html
National Cancer Institute. (n.d.) Heme. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/heme
Ogliore, T. (2021). Heme is not just for Impossible Burgers. Washington University in St. Louis. https://source.wustl.edu/2021/05/heme-is-not-just-for-impossible-burgers/
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