Iron Is One of the Most Important Trace Elements in the Diet - Term Paper Example

The history of Iron in Nutrition and its Uses For the body to function to its optimal functions it needs nutrient that that is derived from the food those we eat on the daily basis. Nutrition is the process of injecting food in the body, assimilation in the blood and the final release of the harmful products. The nutrient needed by the body is derived from the food eaten. It is therefore very critical to care for the kind of food take because they determine the well functioning of the body and other metabolic process in the body. Insufficient intake of food rich in nutrient leads to deficiency diseases that result into poor life and malnutrition. The nutrient is broadly classified into two micronutrient and macronutrient. The micronutrient includes vitamin and minerals that strengthens the body. Iron being one of the most essential for body function, this paper seeks to analyzed its history and explain in details it effect in the body, sources of food and what results into its inadequacies. As one of the most abundant mineral on the earth surface and essential for nearly all the organism both plant and animals, it traces its origin from the time nutrient were discovered around four hundred years before the new error. Due to its important function in the body iron is majorly found in food that is often taken. As the society advances toward the post modern error and the increase of infectious diseases, the use of iron in the body has been of great use to the human community including the animals too. The sources of iron include foods rich in vitamins like carrots, protein foods such as chicken and the bones that are rich in minerals. The sources are both plant and animals. The body needs both the iron from all the sources in order to sustain the body requirement (Cooksey, 2011). There is various functions that iron perform in the body of mammals among them include: synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid. The acid is a basic component in the formation of essential amino acids that are used in the body. They are the founding blocks of the protein that is used the building of new and replacement of worn out tissues. The other function is the generation of energy from the macronutrient by aerobic respiration. The macronutrients are such as carbohydrate and fats they are the major sources of energy in the body. Iron facilitates the respiration process that provides energy for the body tissue to function (Weinberg, 2007). The energy is also needed for the physical activities such as walking to different places. Their major roles in the production of energy make it a requirement during growth especially in the adolescent and young children who need energy to grow. In addition it helps in the transportation of and metabolism of oxygen. It binds oxygen and transport in the body. It does not only transport but also store the oxygen for the future in the body. Once it is stored the body will function without fatigue during strenuous activities. The other uses of the iron in the body are that it facilitates the enzyme reaction. The enzyme regulates the rate of metabolic reaction in the body. It also speeds up the rate reaction in the body. When the concentration of the iron reduces the enzyme catalytic reaction will be lowered hence causing the body not to function well as compared when the concentration is maximum. Beside enzymes is helps in the neurotransmitter synthesis. In this, the cations and an ions that are necessary for the sensitization in the body (Umbreit, 2005). They are transmitted by the iron. If the transmission fails the body becomes paralyzed hence very necessary in the body. The adverse effect of lack of iron in the body leads to the development of anemic conditions. The conditions are characterized by defect in hemoglobin synthesis result the red blood cells that are normally small and contain small amount of hemoglobin. When these conditions persist, the capacity of the blood to supply the oxygen and deliver it to the body is reduced. The cells therefore do not get enough blood hence their performance is reduced. The foods that are rich in iron are those that contain vitamin C like the fruits which include oranges, mangoes, lemons avocado among others. The food will add the quality and quantity of iron in the body. There is also a combination of plant sources and animal source .The animal sources include fish and poultry. The fish particular those in salty water provide a better iron than those in the fresh water. It is therefore important to eat the sea fish to maintain the iron in the body. The poultry include chicken, duck and turkey. There are iron in their bones which very healthy for the body to function and grow well. Sometime women eat the iron from the soil (Scherio, et. al., 2007). It is very risky for health even it is done .it expose the life to danger and some other complication in the body systems. Such kind of practices is very destructive to body organ because they lead to accumulation of other materials in the body systems therefore hindering their functions. The level of iron in the body is affected by age and the amount of foot taken by individuals. The greatest need of iron in the body is during growth and period of blood loss. Blood is lost during the menstrual period among the adolescent and young women below the menu pause period. During this time these groups need to feed on iron rich foods for them to restore the blood in the period. Young children require adequate amounts of iron because they are growing (Weinberg, 2007). The new tissues and body organs will require a lot of iron and therefore they are required to take enough food rich in irons. The amount of food on the other hand depend farther balance of the nutrient contents in the food taken. The food needs to have all the quantities taken in the right proportion. In conclusion iron rich should take because they are essential for the body growth. References Scherio, A., et al. (2007) Dietary iron intake and risk of coronary disease among men. Circulation 89:969. Cooksey, D. (2011). ‘The Bioavailability of Iron’. A Research Review. Texas Agricultural Extension Service. Umbreit, J. (2005). "Iron Deficiency: A Concise Review". American Journal of Hematology 78 (3): 225–231. Weinberg, E. (2007). "Iron withholding: A defense against infection and neoplasia". Physiological reviews 64 (1): 65–102. Read More