The Irony of Iron
Iron is an essential nutrient, and if you have too much, it kills you.
Iron is an essential nutrient, and if you have too much, it kills you. When was the last time anyone checked yours? I recently had mine checked, and it came in at 550, just a little over the high normal of 500. What you know or know that you don't know is never a serious problem. What you don't know, that you don't know bites you almost every time.
In April 2022, I fractured my shoulder in three places while on vacation in Lima, Peru. Instead of walking to Machu Picchu, I stayed in the hotel in Cusco and researched my shoulder condition. Growing up in Minnesota and living within 30 minutes of the Mayo Clinic, I was predisposed to their advice. Mayo's opinions rule the Peruvians. Mayo recommends surgery 100% of the time. Johns Hopkins was looking from a different perspective and currently suggests surgery half of the time and rehab the other half. Cleveland Clinic resolutely promotes rehab 100%. When we returned home, I found a doctor with ties to the Cleveland Clinic, and in less than a year, my shoulder was better than before without surgery.
What's that got to do with iron? Around eighty years ago, many people were anemic. Red meat was expensive, and there was a war going on. Once WWII ended, problem-solving took center stage. Fortified with iron became the mantra. All wheat flour, corn flour, and rice are fortified with iron now almost worldwide. It is put in potato chips, tea, and even peanut butter. You need a little over a gram of iron daily to cover normal losses. Hemoglobin wears out, you know. It is not only possible but highly likely that your food is providing a toxic level of iron over time. Iron-fortified food in the USA lets you exceed your daily need for iron by 10 to 100x! While fewer than 6000 people each year die due to insufficient iron, more die of iron overload than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
Normal Ferritin is identified as 20-500. Some believe ten is sufficient for people if their hemoglobin is normal. The optimum is 50 plus or minus 30, based on my reading. Hemochromatosis will get you to 1000 plus before your doctor is alarmed! Every old age issue increases the higher your iron. 40+ years ago, they studied 100-plus-year-olds living in groups around the world. Their diets differed, but all had one thing in common—iron below 80. Every 'old age condition' appears as iron rises above 80-100. Most doctors are not concerned until it reaches 500-1000+.
Recent work on Alzheimer's and dementia discovers iron is high, 500 or more. Bringing it down to below 150, and cognition returns to normal.
The optimum 50 to 80 is near impossible in the USA. Yes, you need to replace the iron you lose daily. A six-ounce glass of bottled tea does that. A slice of 'fortified' wheat bread does that. A bowl of pasta exceeds that. Again, they 'fortified' wheat, corn, and rice in the '50s, and it is impossible to get the FDA to reconsider its guidelines. Heart disease, tinnitus, inability to lose weight, ED, prone to depression, and a long list ALL increase as iron is above 150. Food safety worries led to legislation in Denmark 2004 restricting foods fortified with extra vitamins or minerals.
Consider that cholesterol was tested for but ignored until they discovered statins could lower LDL to below 100 with a drug. If they find a drug that does the same for iron, it will also become a consideration. Statins don't appear to extend your life. Lowering iron does that. How do you reduce your iron?
Donating blood is the easiest method. Look up the health statistics for those that do, and you will discover they live longer and healthier lives. They won't let you donate if your iron is too low, and they won't take your blood for other reasons. Some places restrict who may donate by age, so the more likely you need it removed, the less likely it will be. If your doctor agrees, you can have it drawn with a phlebotomy. There are other ways to reduce your iron.
Ingesting less means finding foods that have not been fortified and eating a low-iron diet. I have discovered brands of pasta made in Italy that have no iron or sodium. Tastes great too. However, if you are like me, giving up steak and burgers is not in the cards. Some foods and drinks interfere with iron absorption when eating. It turns out that milk reduces iron absorption. So does coffee, green tea, and red wine. There are other benefits to drinking those three besides less iron absorbed, but it only works when you eat and drink them at the same time. Olive oil, eggs, chocolate, whole grains, and seeds reduce iron absorption too.
There are ways to chelate the iron you have also. It is reported that low-dose aspirin works to lower your iron, as does IP6 + Inositol. Do your research, and don't believe anything from one source. Ultimately you will have to test your own body over time.
Many people with my cultural heritage have a genetic disposition that has them absorb 2-5x iron than most people. I will get myself tested, and if I get the hemochromatosis diagnosis, I can have my blood removed more often. I've ordered some IP6-Inositol, read labels, and purchased food without iron. I'll limit meat to a couple of times a week, eat more fish, and take 3-4 100mg aspirin over the day. I had 500 ml of blood drawn and will have my ferritin checked again in three months. If I can only have blood pulled four times a year and the other methods break even in three years, I can get my stored iron under 100. I intend to see it happen in half that time or sooner.
If this interests you and you want to begin your research, visit IronDisorders.org and Hemochromatosis.org. P.D. Mangan's book “Dumping Iron, How to Ditch This Secret Killer, and RECLAIM YOUR HEALTH” is a great read and reference.