I believed that many of us have seen the recent movie, Iron Man, the Marvel Comic superhero
who uses his high power suit and weapons to fight crime. He can fly faster than the jet
fighter and carry more powerful weapon than a F16 Tomcat. He just wants to ensure that the
good will survive and get rid of the bad.
The iron in our body is also very much the same. The function of iron is to combine with
protein to form hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of the blood. It travels to every
part of our body supplying oxygen, an essential component for sustaining life. Eighty five
percent of the total body iron is used in this fashion, with only about five percent found
in muscle protein and a small amount within the cells. A portion of the brain also contains
a high percentage of iron. All of these compounds are vital for cell respiration, in which
oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged.
A deficiency of iron will result in anemia. It is evidenced by pale skin and mucous
membranes, weakness, fatigue and shortness of breath due to lack of oxygen. However the
problem is that not all anemia is associated with lack of sufficient iron. Therefore not all
anemia will respond to additional iron intake. Anemia can be due to lack of vitamin B6,
vitamin B12, internal bleeding or liver and kidney failure. Otherwise iron deficiency can be
compensated by intake 30 to 60mg of iron supplement.
Excessive of iron is not good either. Too much of iron can be serious or even fatal in
people with Parkinsonism, sickle-cell disease, hemosiderosis, cirrhosis and thalassemia,
among other diseases.
Some schizophrenics also react poorly to excessive iron. Iron deposits are found in the
joints of arthritics, and excessive iron may be the cause of bleeding into the joints. At
the same time, arthritics have low serum iron, which zinc and manganese supplements may
help, since they move iron from joints to the blood.
Excessive iron can also prevent proper utilization of vitamin C. Accidental iron overload
can happen from regular consumption of food cooked in iron pots. An excessive intake of red
wine, excess iron in water from old pipes and very low-protein diets can also cause iron
overload.
In order to balance of iron in your body, it is recommended to take more food rich in
vitamin C. This will increase the absorption of iron, making iron overload less likely to
happen. Liver, kidneys, red meats, egg yolks, green leafy vegetables, dried beans, peas,
blackstrap molasses and whole grains are good sources of natural iron which is safe to eat.
It will be difficult to get iron overload from eating these food. Thus rely less on iron
supplement unless really necessary. Consult your doctor before going on a program of iron
supplement.
