Balanced Iron & Health

Why is iron is essential for human life?

1. Iron forms hemoglobin

2. Iron is a key component of various proteins, as well as enzymes that catalyze cellular reactions

3. Iron helps to regulate cell growth and cell differentiation

4. Iron helps to maintain your brain function, metabolism and endocrine function

5. Iron is important for energy production and immune function

The "Goldilocks Zone" for Iron:

Having either too much or too little iron can have serious health consequences on your health.

Iron-deficiency anemia is commonly checked for, but many are not as concerned about excessive iron, which is a fairly common problem. Men and postmenopausal women are at risk for iron overload due to inefficient iron excretion.

Diseases associated with low iron levels are; anemia, fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, hypothyroidism, depression / anxiety, attention deficit & hyperactivity disorders, Parkinson's disease, neurodegenerative conditions, celiac disease, restless leg syndrome, hair loss, muscle weakness, decline in motor skills, mental changes and memory loss.

Diseases associated with high iron levels are; insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, premature aging, atherosclerosis, anorexia, Grave's disease, heart arrhythmias, cancer, sideroblastic anemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, (NAFLD), liver disease, hemochromatosis, Still's disease and hemophagocytic syndrome.

Hemochromatosis is a genetic disease, which causes your body to accumulate excessive and dangerously damaging levels of iron. If left untreated, it can damage your organs and contribute to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and many other health problems.

Excessive iron overload is very easy and inexpensive to treat. By monitoring your serum ferritin and/or GGT levels, avoiding iron supplements and donating blood on a regular basis, you can avoid serious health problems.

If you are a man, or a post-menopausal woman, Consult your physician for more information on this problem.

The serum ferritin test measures your stored iron.Adults should get a serum ferritin test on an annual basis as a screen to confirm you're neither too high nor too low. An ideal level for adult men and non-menstruating women is somewhere between 40 and 60 ng/mL. You do not want to be below 20 ng/mL or above 80 ng/mL.

Maintaining a healthy iron level is also important during pregnancy. Having a level of 60 or 70 ng/mL is associated with greater odds of poor pregnancy outcomes.###a name="_ednref6"> Iron deficiency during pregnancy is equally problematic. The most commonly used threshold for Another valuable test is the gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) test. GGT measures liver enzymes. Not only will this tell you if you have liver damage, it can also be used as a screening marker for excess free iron and is a great indicator of your sudden cardiac death risk.

For women, a healthy GGT level is around 9 units per liter (U/L) whereas the high ends of "normal" are generally 40 to 45 U/L. For men, 16 U/L is ideal, while the normal lab range can go as high as 65 to 70 U/L.

According to Gerry Koenig, former chairman of the Iron Disorders Institute and the Hemochromatosis Foundation, women with a GGT above 30 U/L have a higher risk of cancer and autoimmune disease. In the video that you can watch by clicking on the link below, Koenig discusses this and other health hazards associated with iron overload.

How to Address Low Iron:

If your iron is low, you can improve your iron status by:

1. Eating iron-rich foods, such as organic organ meats such as liver, grass fed red meat, dark turkey meat, clams, spinach, pumpkin seeds, quiona, broccoli, dark chocolate, with a minimum 70% cooca and seaweed.

3. Avoid combining iron-rich foods with calcium-rich foods, as calcium binds to iron, thereby limiting iron absorption.

4. Take a good iron supplement, one that has the iron derived from a food source. Avoid ferrous sulfate, a form of iron found in many multivitamins, which is relatively toxic.

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