Amazing Health Benefits of Iron | Importance of Iron - Food and Health

Health Benefits of Iron

The health benefits of iron iron is an essential mineral required for human life the primary biological role of iron is helping facilitate the production of hemoglobin a protein attached to red blood cells which is responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body iron is also involved in the synthesis of ATP also known as adenosine triphosphate which is the primary energy source of individual cells and ultimately us as living organisms as well it also helps with the synthesis of myoglobin which provides oxygen to our muscles iron metabolism is very tightly regulated most of the iron in our body is stored in the form of hemoglobin however there is a storage protein called ferritin where we also have iron reserves hepcidin is the hormone that is the key regulator of iron metabolism iron deficiency anemia is the most common reason that people supplement iron I'll review the risk factors and symptoms of iron deficiency in a minute but if you are concerned about iron deficiency then you should discuss supplementation with your physician folks have chronic diseases such as cancer immune-mediated diseases and diabetes just an interview our increased risk of iron deficiency and/or underutilizing their stored iron in other words they may have an iron deficiency or they may also not be able to properly utilize their iron stores these individuals can benefit from iron supplementation in addition to treating the underlying disease in pregnancy low levels of iron increased

The risk of the infant having a low birth weight premature birth and harmful neurological development women who are pregnant should supplement iron as recommended by their doctor there is limited evidence that iron supplementation can improve athletic performance and individuals who have a below normal level of iron more research is needed to really tease out that relationship preliminary evidence suggests that supplementation of iron may help manage attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in children with low levels of iron ultimately more research is needed to better identify this relationship and because iron levels can be talked to high levels you should not have your children supplementing iron without the supervision of their pediatrician iron deficiency may be associated with restless leg syndrome a disease where there is a sensation and irresistible urge to move your legs although not officially recognized as a treatment for iron deficiency specialists are now suggesting that iron levels are checked in individuals with RLS iron deficiency manifests as anemia and is the most common

nutritional deficiency in the world the data for iron deficiency is limited but it is fairly uncommon problem in the Western world and much more common in developing nations where individuals are likely to have other nutritional deficiencies as well symptoms of iron deficiency depend on severity but include weakness fatigue rapid heart rate palpitations and rapid breathing on exertion risk factors include pregnancy young women who have their menses poor dietary intake poor dietary absorption frequent blood donors people who have a reason to be bleeding and the rapid growth that occurs during childhood iron toxicity can occur with excessive iron intake symptoms include upset stomach constipation nausea abdominal pain vomiting and fainting and in severe cases organ failure coma and death toxicity also increases your risk of cancer cardiovascular disease and diabetes it is important that iron supplements are childproofed and not accessible to children there's also an inherited condition called hemochromatosis leads to toxic buildup of iron in the body requiring management by a doctor dietary iron comes in two forms heme and non-heme non heme iron founded plants

Specifically nuts beans and vegetables and iron fortified grain products heme iron is found in lean meat seafood and poultry the difference is that heme iron is more well absorbed than non heme iron the top 10 dietary sources include fortified breakfast cereals oysters white beans dark chocolate beef liver lentils spinach tofu kidney beans and sardines you can also supplement iron and ferrous sulfate is the most common form but the others are listed here I'm not going to review them individually the recommended daily allowance varies substantially in children so I will quickly review the adult ones here according to the National Institute of Health adult men between 18 and 50 need 8 milligrams and adult women in that age range need 18 adults over 50 need 8 milligrams and then pregnant women needs substantially more at 27 milligrams per day and breastfeeding women 9 milligrams so in summary we can make a few comments here iron is an essential mineral whose primary role produces hemoglobin and myoglobin to help deliver oxygen to the body it is most commonly used to treat and prevent iron deficiency it may have a role in improving athletic performance and managing ADHD and RLS it is most common nutritional deficiency in the world harmfulness can be intense and supplementation ought to by and large be done under the supervision of a doctor the best dietary sources are iron fortified grains lean meat seafood nuts beans and vegetables and the recommended daily allowance for most adults is 8 milligrams per day but that increases in young and pregnant women...