Once we have heard something presented as a fact, it can settle in our minds as unassailable truth. This not only biases our viewpoints towards new knowledge, we also learn to accept negative side effects to our health as necessary and unavoidable. One such example comes from the medical treatment of iron deficiency.
Take iron substitution. In accordance with accepted guidelines, high-dose iron salts of 50 to 100 mg/day (Fe2+) are recommended for iron deficiency and anemia. Many women know all too well that these dosages can make them vulnerable to nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea or constipation. Therefore, some may prefer to accept the consequences of iron deficiency rather than experience the negative side effects. But this doesn’t have to be the case!
Less is more – Low-dose iron is more effective than high-dose iron!
Just in the past two years, studies have yielded new discoveries on iron deficiency but are not yet widely acknowledged. These studies have found that low-dose iron is more effective, and likely less disruptive to your health, than high-dose iron doses.
Diego Moretti from ETH Zurich (Laboratory of Human Nutrition) and his team conducted a study that concluded that lower iron amounts are absorbed much more efficiently than high-dose iron. Their results show the connection.
Due to the fact that excessive iron in the body is toxic to cells, the absorption of iron ions is strictly regulated. The key factor is the peptide hepcidin, which was identified in 2001. This substance blocks the cellular iron transporter ferroportin, which helps the iron ions to overcome the cell membranes. If the body has a sufficient amount of iron, then hepcidin is formed in the liver and the absorption of iron is reduced.
Why high amounts of iron irritate the mucous membrane
Moretti and his team have now been able to show that high iron concentrations of 80 – 240 mg per intake of Hepcidin lead to a verifiable increase in the level of hepcidin after 24 hours, thus blocking the absorption of iron. Iron supplementation within 24 hours therefore leads to lower iron absorption and excessive free iron ions in the intestinal lumen. These free iron ions likely irritate the intestinal mucosa and are responsible for the aforementioned negative side effects through the induction of oxidative stress. Furthermore, the higher the iron dose, the lower the absorption rate, which is apparent through hepcidin regulation.
What to do in case of iron deficiency
Therefore, it is recommended to administer high doses of iron in a 2-day cycle or to offer iron in lower quantities only. One effective source is curry.
It may take time before these new findings on iron become mainstream accepted. Until then, those who do not know better may continue to fight iron deficiency with outdated recommendations and continue coping with the negative side effects.
