Iron : Essential in the Formation of Proteins

Iron

(It is important that we include iron-rich foods in our daily diet, but it is more important to eat foods that promote iron absorption in our body)

Iron is an essential mineral found in every cell of our body. It is the mineral that helps the bone marrow in making hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein or molecule found in red blood cells that contains iron. Most of the iron in our body is found in the hemoglobin (an oxygen-carrying protein that transfers oxygen from the lungs to the tissues) of red blood cells and in the myoglobin (a protein that provides oxygen to muscles) of muscle cells. Hemoglobin represents about two-third of our body’s iron. Our body can store a certain amount of extra iron in a red blood cell protein called ferritin. When there's not enough iron in our diet, our body uses the iron stored in ferritin to get what it needs to make hemoglobin. The rest of the iron in our bodies is found in myoglobin. Extra iron is stored in the liver, bone marrow, spleen, and muscles.

Functions of Iron

Iron plays a vital role in many important chemical reactions in our body. For example:

• Iron helps in producing Hemoglobin that helps the red blood cells to deliver oxygen from the lungs to cells all over our body. Once the oxygen is delivered, iron then helps red blood cells carry carbon dioxide waste back to the lungs to be exhaled. 
• Iron is also responsible for transmitting nerve impulses, the signals that coordinate the actions of different parts of our body.
• Iron is also involved in producing Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), the body's energy source.
• It plays a vital role in proper muscle and organ function, and it fills our bodies with energy.
• It is also necessary for metabolism, growth and development.
• It is also necessary for normal cellular functioning and synthesis of some hormones & connective tissues.

Benefits of Iron

• It improves athletic performance
  
• It helps in maintaining healthy cells, skin, hair, and nails
• It prevents attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• It also prevents Crohn's disease, depression, fatigue
• It cures the inability to get pregnant
• It maintains our body temperature

RDAs

One’s iron need per day depends on his/her age, gender and overall health. Infants and toddlers need more iron than adults, because their bodies grow quickly. In childhood, boys and girls need the same amount of iron. But in adulthood, Women need more iron than men because they lose blood each month during their menstrual period. After menopause (when the menstrual cycle ends), both men and women need the same amount of iron. 

• Children aged 4 to 8 need 10 milligrams of iron daily, 
  
• Children aged 9 to 13 need 8 milligrams of iron daily,
• Women aged 19 to 50 need 18 mg of iron every day, 
• Pregnant women of all ages need 27 mg of iron every day,
• Men aged 19 to 50 need 8 mg of iron every day,
• Men and women aged 50 above need 8 mg of iron every day.

Food sources

There are two kinds of iron: “heme iron” which is found in red meats, fish and poultry and is better-absorbed than “non-heme iron”, which is found in enriched cereals, leafy veggies and dry fruits. 

• Heme Sources : Pork, Ham, Chicken, Fish, Beef, Liver, and Lamb etc. 
• Non-Heme sources : Artificially fortified foods, like breakfast cereals and grains, Wheat, Millet, Oats, Brown rice, Soybeans, Dried beans and peas, Kidney beans, Lima beans, Spinach, Broccoli, Kale, Collards, Asparagus, raisins, Prunes, Apricots, Almonds, Brazil nuts etc.

Supplements

Iron supplements are often recommended for infants and toddlers, teenage girls and women who are pregnant or of childbearing age. There are many forms of iron products such as ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, ferrous fumarate, and others. Because of its higher solubility, ferrous iron in dietary supplements is more bioavailable. Multivitamin/mineral supplements with iron, especially those designed for women, typically provide 18 mg iron (100% of the DV). Multivitamin/mineral supplements for men or seniors frequently contain less or no iron. Taking 18 mg or less a day of iron supplements is unlikely to cause any harm. 

Overage

Stomach Upset

It is difficult in adulthood that overdose of iron occurs just from food and supplements, because an adult body has systems in place to regulate the amount of iron it absorbs. Most people only absorb about 10 percent of the iron they consume. In general, when people take iron more than the recommended dose, they usually have stomach upset such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dark stools, or constipation. Pregnant women are especially susceptible to constipation. Adding extra fiber to her diet can get relieve from this problem. 

Deficiency

We typically lose only small amounts of iron in urine, feces, the gastrointestinal tract, and skin. Our body also stores some iron to replace any that is lost. But, If we don't have enough iron, our body can't make enough healthy oxygen-carrying red blood cells. When we are not getting sufficient oxygen, we feel fatigued. This exhaustion can affect everything i.e. from our brain function to our immune system. 

• Insufficient iron intakes during pregnancy increase a woman’s risk of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) i.e. a stage of lack of red blood cells.
• In case of a pregnant woman, severe iron deficiency may increase her baby's risk of being born too early or smaller than normal, low birth weight, premature birth, low iron stores, and impaired cognitive and behavioral development.

Symptoms of iron deficiency : 

• People looks pale or sallow
• People feel fatigued or have difficulty in exercising
• People suffering from headache, irritability, dizziness, or weight loss
• People feel short of breath
• People who have a fast heartbeat
• People who have cold hands and feet
• People who have brittle and spoon shaped nails or hair loss
• People who have sores at the corner of the mouth
• People who have a sore tongue
• Severe iron deficiency can also cause difficulty in swallowing

Who needs more iron?

1. Vegetarian people need more iron, because our body doesn't absorb iron from plants as well as it absorbs the iron from meat.
   
2. Infants especially those born preterm or with low birth weight or whose mothers have iron deficiency.
3. Pregnant & breastfeeding women and women of reproductive age who have heavy bleeding during menstruation.
4. People who have kidney failure or treating with dialysis (dialysis removes iron from the body).
5. People who have an ulcer (ulcer can cause blood loss).
6. People who have a gastrointestinal disorder that prevents his/her body from absorbing iron normally.
7. People who took too many antacids (Antacids prevents one’s body from absorbing iron)
8. People who have gone through a surgery or frequently donate blood.
9. People who work out a lot because intense exercise may destroy our red blood cells.
10. Iron-deficiency anemia becomes more prevalent with aging so elder most people need it.

What studies revealed?

• Some studies show that people with high intake of iron, especially from food sources such as red meat, are more likely to have heart disease. This may be especially true for people with type 2 diabetes.
• A research published earlier revealed that high iron levels may cause damage to muscle tissue, thereby decreasing the body’s ability to move glucose from the blood into cells and also interfering with insulin production.
• A 2014 study published in the Annals of Medical & Health Sciences Research found that iron deficiency was increasingly associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), iron deficiency is the number one nutritional disorder in the world. Up to 80% of the world's population may be iron deficient, and 30% may have iron deficiency anemia. 

Suggestion from the Author

• People who are anemic and taking iron supplements or who started with iron supplements but found an upset stomach, they can start with a low dose of iron and then gradually increasing the dose to the daily recommended amount. It may help you people in minimizing the side effects. 
• If there is too many side effects, then Iron can be taken with food but Iron should be taken on an empty stomach if there is no side effects. Try to avoid taking it with foods containing dairy products, coffee, tea, or cereals. 
• Always add vitamin C to the diet to absorb iron more effectively. Foods rich in vitamin C for example citrus, strawberries, tomatoes, and potatoes also increase iron absorption. 
• If we mix some lean meat, fish, or poultry with beans or dark leafy green vegetables in a meal, then we can improve our absorption of vegetable sources of iron up to three times. 
• We must cook our foods in a cast-iron pot in order to increase the amount of iron intake.
• Feed your babies with iron-rich foods, when they move to solid foods as children who drink large quantities of milk and avoid other foods may develop "milk anemia."
• Do not take iron supplements and calcium supplements or antacids at the same time. It is best to space doses of these 2 products 1 to 2 hours apart, to get the full benefit from each medicine or dietary supplement.