I've read about the hazards of iron. But one proclamation is that once it is in the body it doesn't get excreted. SO it just stays in the body forever? If that's true then any intake of iron whatsoever would eventually accumulate to poisonous amounts. Common sense says the body has a way of dealing with this, so what is it?
Iron
#1
Posted 15 February 2011 - 03:26 AM
I've read about the hazards of iron. But one proclamation is that once it is in the body it doesn't get excreted. SO it just stays in the body forever? If that's true then any intake of iron whatsoever would eventually accumulate to poisonous amounts. Common sense says the body has a way of dealing with this, so what is it?
#2
Posted 15 February 2011 - 04:18 AM
Common sense wins again. Iron that you consume through diet and supplements that isn't absorbed is eliminated fecally. See Fig 1 of this article. Iron that is absorbed has other elimination pathways; skin cells that are sloughed off is one little-appreciated mechanism. Any form of blood loss, primarily menstrual in pre-menopausal females, but also through cuts, donation, blood tests, and occult bleeding is the other chief mode of iron excretion. Normal excretion rates are pretty low; on the order of a mg or two is typical. Here is a paper on excretion.I've read about the hazards of iron. But one proclamation is that once it is in the body it doesn't get excreted. SO it just stays in the body forever? If that's true then any intake of iron whatsoever would eventually accumulate to poisonous amounts. Common sense says the body has a way of dealing with this, so what is it?
#3
Posted 15 February 2011 - 05:02 AM
Human Iron Metabolism
#4
Posted 15 February 2011 - 11:01 AM
I've read about the hazards of iron.
Tried to keep iron from supplements down too. But was really surprised, after tracking my nutrient intake, that I would get already 27 mg of iron per day from my diet alone.
However, my iron store values were all rather at the lower end of lab reference ranges. Then I took upto 20g of vitamin C per day, which allegedly increases iron absorptions. However, 1 year later my body iron stores decreased even further.
So I guess individual absorption/elimination must be huge factor determining iron toxicity.
#5
Posted 15 February 2011 - 06:31 PM
Insect bites and untreated wounds were a large part of our evolutionary past. Our past needs to store blood are gone. Blood donation is a reasonable precaution and a good deed.
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