Living Valley Health Retreat with Gary Martin

Iron is a vital mineral for human beings, so essential for life that a slight variation from optimal range can affect almost every aspect of health, including growth, immunity, energy and even the body’s natural detoxification process. Ironically, iron is also toxic. It is crucial, therefore, not only to consume adequate quantities of dietary iron, but to also ensure that all iron consumed can be tightly bound, handled and transported without harming sensitive tissues or damaging the immune system.

Imagine iron is like a tiger. Just as tigers are strong, iron is needed for might and vigour. A tiger on the loose, however, is dangerous. So too, is iron. When serum iron levels are mismanaged, the groundwork is set for degenerative disease and infection. An altered iron status may underlie many health conditions from anaemia to cancer. Yet we can coexist with both tigers and iron when they are properly managed.

Meat, fish, poultry, eggs and certain plantbased foods contain significant levels of dietary iron. When these foods are consumed, the digestive system treats iron, like a zookeeper treats his tigers.

The iron is carefully bound, then caged in holding cells called ferritin. Each spherical ferritin molecule can hold 4500 iron ions, separated by protein partitions. Ferritin molecules are usually made up of 63% protein and 27% iron. If the iron levels exceed 27%, the molecules go out of shape. Imagine cage-bars becoming bent by too many tigers fighting within.

This irregularity promotes inflammation. It occurs in those whose protein intake is so inadequate that the body is unable to make sufficient ferritin molecules. Subsequently, the available ferritin molecules will store extra iron to hedge against anaemia.

Iron must be released and transferred into cells to do its work. When a cell requires iron, it displays a receptor. A copper-rich protein known as ceruloplasmin (the handler) enters the ferritin molecule (the cage) to release iron (Fe2+) ions (the tigers) by changing them into ferric (Fe3+) ions. They are still tigers. The release of stored iron can be compromised if the diet is low in copper and protein.

Once free in the bloodstream, ferric ions are bound to proteins, called transferrin (the transporters), to be transported to sites expressing receptors. These receptor sites are plentiful when iron is in short supply and suppressed when iron supplies are ample. Each transferrin molecule has two binding sites (hooks) that make it capable of securing two ions of iron for safe transport. Just as it is dangerous to have tigers escape during transport, free or unbound iron ions would harm sensitive tissues, while promoting harmful bacterial growth and cancer cell proliferation.

As a safety measure the body maintains a fleet of three times the necessary number of transferrin molecules. Accordingly, no more than one third of all these transporters will be occupied at any given moment, provided adequate protein is available to produce them in the first place. Everyone should learn how to interpret their own blood tests. If a blood test reveals a transferrin saturation higher than 33% and a low total iron binding capacity reading, one would suspect the presence of free iron and a probable protein deficiency.

The body is careful in its management of this essential, yet toxic element. When iron deficiency is suspected, assess protein status, as protein is the key to iron storage, handling and transportation. When dietary protein is inadequate, the body will either urinate iron out or face the risk of a destructive assault by free unbound iron.

Blood chemistry readings indicative of iron deficiency include low serum iron, low saturation percentage, low ferritin, high total iron binding capacity and low Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), occurring with or without anaemia. If the diet is low in iron over a long period, or if there is excessive blood loss, red cells will become small.

Over a long period, iron deficiency can result in a low haemoglobin reading, low hematocrit and low red cell count. In such cases, iron supplementation should be considered only when protein status is adequate and intestinal mucosa is healthy. Otherwise, iron supplementation could produce a state of free iron toxicity, resulting in infections and numerous other diseases.

Consume foods rich in iron-binding proteins, such as cultured dairy and organic eggs. A diet that is high in refined carbohydrates can adversely affect iron status as sugar can draw iron from the ferritin molecules, releasing ‘tigers’ into the bloodstream. Dietary iron is essential for life but is highly toxic. If iron status is altered, then review lifestyle and correct the building blocks before flooding the system with excessive free iron. At Living Valley, the natural correction of iron status forms part of the plans provided for a long and healthy life. a