Of all the illnesses that are caused by nutritional deficiency, the most common is from deficiency of iron. Despite this observation, the routine taking of supplements of iron will not improve health and may even cause illness.

What Does Iron Do In The Body?

Proteins that oxidize or interact with oxygen need metal atoms to function. Iron is the most active of these in humans and animals. Its most obvious function is in hemoglobin where it permits production of this vital pigment and permits it to carry oxygen to the tissues. Persons deficient in iron are usually anemic (not enough blood).

Because of its chemical activity, iron is also very toxic. It causes severe illness and death from the poisoning of excessive ingestion. When iron accumulates in the body, beyond the capacity of the complex detoxification system, the consequent hemochromatosis or iron overload is associated with destruction of liver, pancreas, and certain endocrine organs and infiltration and failure of the heart.

How Is Iron Regulated And How Much Do We Need?

We have evolved to protect ourselves from the toxicity of the iron. The body strictly limits the amount of iron that is absorbed from the gut. Because the limited amount of iron in the body, it is precious. Since we have no mechanism for the iron to leave the body and if the stores of the body decrease, cells containing iron must have been lost. This almost always represents blood that has been lost through bleeding. One ml of normal blood contains about 0.5 mg of iron. To balance the iron lost from normal menstrual bleeding, young women must absorb 1-2 mg of iron per day (30-60 mg per month). For men and non menstruating woman to balance the iron lost in sweat and from gut cells requires only 0.5 mg of iron per day (15-20 mg/month).

Iron is absorbed from the diet. Much of the iron eaten is not soluble and is not available to the body. Ten percent of soluble dietary iron is usually absorbed but as much as 30 percent of the iron in meat can be absorbed if needed. A young woman who may need 1-2 mg per day must ingest atleast 10-20 mg of vegetable or pill iron per day. Similarly a man would need to ingest about 5 mg. The loss of 1 ml of blood per day would drain all of the iron absorbed by the man in the example above.

What Is The Consequence Of Not Having Enough Iron?

As iron is depleted, the reserves become depleted, and then the hemoglobin level (concentration of hemoglobin in the blood) decreases. Each of the red blood cells becomes smaller, which suggests iron deficiency to the physician examining the blood. As the anemia becomes more severe, weakness or shortness of breath may be noted. In severe deficiency, cracks may occur at the corners of the mouth, fingernails may become thin, and there may be difficulty in swallowing.

Who Is Most Susceptible To Iron Deficiency?

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