iron cautions part 3

[Guest guest]

SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS

Almost any of us could be a candidate for iron supplementation, but with

this good/bad mineral, generalizations are difficult to make. Usually women

who have heavy, prolonged menstrual flows could need a supplemental source, as

could heavy-duty exercisers. People who probably should not take extra iron

include

-older people who do not suffer from anemia. The risk of cancer increases with

age, so the elderly need to avoid iron supplements and food fortified with the

mineral.

-people with a gastrointestinal infection. Iron supplements should be shelved

for the duration of the infection, because disease-causing microorganisms in

the gastrointestinal tract feed on the mineral.

-breast-fed infants. Contrary to the earlier pediatric research, the iron in

mother's milk is well absorbed and not readily available to gastrointestinal

germs. Additional iron can often cause or worsen a baby's gastrointestinal

infections.

To be safe, don't take any kind of iron supplement, tablet, or tonic

without first going to a doctor for a blood check. Not any old blood test

will do, however. The ordinary hemoglobin and hematocrit counts will let you

know if you're anemic, but they don't accurately gauge an iron deficiency.

Plasma iron tests are almost meaningless, too.

The best answer is a serum ferritin test, which measures how much of the

mineral is stored in the body. It will be low if you're deficient, high if

you have an overload. Serum iron will also be low if you have a deficiency,

while serum trasferrin (an iron carrier molecule) will be elevated or normal.

The upper range for " normal " ferritin is about 250 pg/L in women and 450 pg/L

in men. If your ferritin reading is above 750 pg/L, ask your doctor to check

you for hemochromatosis. Iron overload is more common than mainstream

medicine now recognizes, and it's frequently overlooked.

Should testing reveal a deficiency, the therapy of choice is both easy and

delicious: additional servings of red meat, as least two pounds a week.

Chicken and fish also are suitable. Animal meat, as I mentioned, contains

heme iron, which, unlike synthetic supplements, will not accumulate in the

body. Nor will it lead to an increase in free radicals, a process liked to

colon cancer.

As an alternative to eating meat more frequently, shop the health food

stores for supplements of heme iron. Newly available over the last few years,

they are sold as ferritin capsules. The only drawback may be cost. The per-

capsule dosage is limited to 5 mg, and ten or more pills daily may be needed

to overcome anemia. Liquid liver extract is another source of safe, natural

iron. But do your utmost to avoid synthetic supplements of non-heme iron,

except when the anemia requires immediate treatment.

To enhance iron absorption, consider taking a little extra vitamin A (about

20,000 IU) and vitamin C. Vitamin A can help increase the level of iron in

the blood, which may be of particular concern to someone with an underactive

thyroid, a condition that impairs the ability to convert beta-carotene into

vitamin A. When tested for iron status, people with low thyroid function

should make sure their need for vitamin A also is measured.

Vitamin C, whether from fruits, vegetables, or regular 500 mg supplements,

helps the body derive more heme iron from food. High doses pose no risk of

excess iron absorption. "

end of quote

------------------------------------------------------------------------

E-group home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/hyperthyroidism