Iron has an unequivocally positive reputation among the general public. After all, pregnant women use it to construct tiny humans, tiny humans use it to become slightly larger, more functional humans, and our cells require it to grow. And in many developing countries, iron deficiency is a real issue. Too little iron can have disastrous effects on cognition, growth, and overall physical robustness. Even adult women who aren't building tiny humans inside their wombs may run low on iron due to
menstrual cycle blood loss. Ask the average person and you'll hear "the more iron, the better." Consequently, many countries
mandate iron fortification of wheat flour; in the US, we fortify pretty much everything with the stuff because it's just so, so good for us. Is it true, though?
Not necessarily.
There's another side to iron.
Its inherent proclivity for electron exchange can create free radicals that damage DNA, cells, and blood lipids.
Observational studies link iron intake and stored iron to
diseases and disease states like
type 2 diabetes,
heart disease,
insulin resistance,
inflammation, Alzheimer's disease, hypertension, fatty liver, hypothyroidism, arthritis, and
cancer. The list of disease states connected to excess body stores of iron is impressive and, frankly, daunting. You name it, it's
probably linked to excess iron levels. A
huge post on the link between iron fortification and obesity went up at Free the Animal earlier this year. Heck, one researcher even thinks the iron content of tobacco smoke
may be responsible for its negative health effects.
Comment: An additional piece of the puzzle with iron consumption is a genetic condition called Hemochromatosis. The relatively small, but by no means insignificant, portion of the population that inherited this condition absorbs iron dramatically better than people without this condition, setting them up for potential problems on a paleo or ketogenic diet. The condition may not become apparent until one cuts out gluten, dairy, sugar, and junk food for long enough for the gut to heal, in which case the body of the Hemochromatosis afflicted person may then begin to assimilate much more iron than they were with a poorly functioning digestive tract and they begin to have health problems. The good news is that the condition can be managed (without the need to return to junk food!).
If you suspect iron overload, it's recommended to get the proper blood work to determine if you have an overload, as well as determining if you have Hemochromatosis, then donate blood on a regular basis and/or take other measures to reduce iron in the body.
For more information, see:
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