Iron and its Effects in Human Bodies - Essay Example

Iron and its Effects in Human Bodies Objectives: a) To compare and review two common biochemical laboratory tests for diagnosing iron disorders and assessing iron status, namely, serum ferritin test and transferrin saturation test b) To consider the effect of RDI/AI/DRA on the amount of iron to be taken. c) To determine the importance of iron nutrients in human bodies. Functions of Iron in Human’s Body Acts as an oxygen-carrier in hemoglobin. Maintains healthy skin, hair, cells and nails. Biochemical Tests or Assessment of Iron’s Status in the Body Such tests are recommended since iron is a very important mineral which optimizes the functionality of hemoglobin in our red blood cells a condition called hemochromatosis in which the body is experiences iron imbalance; that is either an overload or deficiency of the mineral (Ross et al., 2014). There are two commonly used laboratory tests for hemochromatosis: Serum Ferritin Test: This refers to administration of a blood test to verify the composition of iron in the blood. The normal results for male should be 12-150 nanograms per millimeter of blood while for female; it should be 12-300 nanograms per millimeter of blood. The test should be conducted when symptoms of either an overload or deficiency of iron are noted. Iron-deficiency (anemia) symptoms include weakness, headaches, dizziness, tiredness (chronic fatigue) and pallor/pale skin. On the other hand, iron-overload symptoms include loss of sex drive, weight loss, and abdominal pain, loss of body hair, fatigue, heart problems, and joint problems Transferrin Saturation Test: It measures the iron-binding capacity. It is not a commonly used method because it requires immunologic measurement, a costly and time-consuming procedure that most clinical laboratories cannot afford. Transferrin saturation tests with values greater than 60% alarms of iron overload while those between 45% and 60% indicates borderline elevation. The other iron biochemical tests include serum iron (SI), unsaturated iron-binding capacity (UIBC), and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) tests Safety Potential Toxicity of Iron Overdose It arises when there is an iron overload in human being’s body. Ferrous iron has toxicity effect that varies largely in line with the integrity of gastrointestinal lining. The amount consumed gives clue on the potential of toxicity. If a person takes an elemental iron ingestion of more than 50mg/kg, severe toxicity is bound to arise. When blood values are taken, levels exceeding 1000 µg/dL are a clear indication of severe iron poisoning while those between 350-500 µg/dL are considered toxic. Symptoms Symptoms of acute iron poisoning occur in four stages: a) Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, coma, and difficult breathing within first 6 hours of ingestion. b) After 48 hours, serious symptoms will be in the form of organ failure e.g. kidney, liver, central nervous system, and cardiovascular failures. c) After a length of more than two weeks since poisoning, damage to stomach, liver and central nervous system may occur. Adverse effects of iron poisoning include diarrhea, constipation, gastrointestinal irritation, nausea, and vomiting. To avoid iron poisoning adhere to the following tolerable levels. Adverse effects Adverse effects of iron poisoning include diarrhea, constipation, gastrointestinal irritation, nausea, and vomiting. To avoid iron poisoning adhere to the following tolerable levels. Prevention Group Iron Intake Infants between 0-12 months 40mg/day, 1-13 years 40mg/day 14-18 years 45mg/day 19 years and over an upper intake level of 45mg/day Treatment Treatment for iron toxicity involves iron blood cleaning (cleaning iron from the blood), by use of chelating agents like deferoxamine. If no change is recorded, consider dialysis as option. DRI/RDA/AI and How it Affects Iron Amounts Consumed. Reference/Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) is a system that outlines the daily intake levels of nutrients, minerals and vitamins to match the requirements of 97-98% of healthy individuals (National Research Council, 2009). RDI recommends intake of sufficient amount of iron equivalent to 18 grams per day based on diet of individuals because iron is a crucial element in the body. RDA (recommended dietary allowances) and AI (adequate intake) are reference values provided by RDI. RDA gives the daily dietary intake level of a mineral/ nutrient that is sufficient as per the Food and Nutrition Board. RDA calculation is based on Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) and is usually 20% higher than the EAR value. AI applies when there is no RDA and gives an amount that is believed to be less adequate (Drake, 2011). Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Iron Life Stage Age  Males (mg/day) Females (mg/day) Infants 0-6 months 0.27 (AI) 0.27 (AI) Infants 7-12 months 11 11 Children 1-3 years 7 7 Children 4-8 years 10 10 Children 9-13 years 8 8 Adolescents 14-18 years 11 15 Adults 19-50 years 8 18 Adults 51 years and older 8 8 Pregnancy all ages - 27 Breast-feeding 18 years and younger - 10 Breast-feeding 19 years and older - 9 Any Particular Groups/Stages in Life at a More Risk Iron diseases severity varies from one stage of life to the other. The susceptibility of suffering from iron diseases vary from one stage of life cycle to the other. For example, children are more likely to suffer from iron problems like anemia compared to youth. The following are reasons for such occurrence: Infants Infants grow at a higher rate compared to both youths and adults. During the first two years immediately after birth, the growth rate is higher than any other stage of life. Therefore, iron consumption during their first two years is higher compared to the rest of life of an individual (Bowman and Russell, 2006). If RDI is not adhered to, they are likely to suffer from anemia and other iron-related diseases. Toddlers Toddlers tend being fussy eaters hence; they don’t get the right amounts of iron into their bodies. They don’t know what diet is, what iron is; that is, they know nothing. Because of their innocence, they are likely to suffer from anemia. Parents and guardians should ensure proper iron administration to infants to avoid iron-related diseases like anemia. Dr. Llyod Van Winkle states, “The most common cause of iron deficiency anemia in children is poor dietary intake of iron and vitamins. The number of children suffering from iron deficiency anemia has declined in recent years. Improved nutritional support, such as the WIC program, has been a very positive factor in reducing anemia.” Female Adolescents & Pregnant women During youthful stage, the female gender becomes more at risk of suffering from iron diseases compared to males. Upon reaching puberty, the female gender begins receiving menstrual cycles. Menstruation results to loss of blood. Iron minerals are carried in red blood cells hence menstruation leads to loss of iron (Gropper & Smith, 2013). Anemia is likely to attack adult females than their male counterparts based on this fact. They are, therefore, advised visiting laboratories on a continuous basis to check their iron concentration in an attempt of maintaining it at the required levels. Other Groups However, at adulthood stage, both men and women have equal chances of being attacked by iron diseases depending on their lifestyles. No gender is more disadvantaged compared to the other at this stage. They should both ensure they adhere to the RDI standards if healthy lives are their priority. Women become disadvantaged during the process of giving birth. Here, they lose a lot of blood resulting to iron loss. After giving birth, a woman should ensure she injects more iron into her body for a healthy life (Erdman et al., 2012). Other susceptible groups include: alcoholics, obese individuals, older adults, dark-colored skinned individuals, smokers, victims of bariatric surgery, individuals with low socio-economic status, vegans, individuals that take medication believed to tamper with absorption and/or metabolism of nutrients, those who don’t maintain diet (Drake, 2011) Any Relevant Interactions with Other Nutrients According to researchers’ findings, important interactions between other food components and iron affect absorption of nonheme iron. Below is a brief description on how some nutrients affect absorption of iron: Zinc Zinc is considered an important supplement of iron. It has been proved that fortification with one in the body may lead to inadequate absorption of the other (Gropper & Smith, 2013). What has not yet been proved is what takes place when dose ranges of both nutrients are taken. Vitamin A and C Vitamin A and C interaction with iron is very essential. Deficiency or lack of them cause reduced iron circulation levels and anemia. For effective iron functioning, ensure sufficient concentrations of vitamin A. Others Major iron absorption inhibitors include polyphenols and phytates, and other vegetable and animal proteins. Animal tissues like fish, poultry, meat and organic acids are known to be the best enhancers of iron. Other acids considered effective in iron absorption include lactic, malic, tartaric and citric acids. References Bowman and Russell, 2006. Present knowledge in nutrition, 9th ed., volume I. ILSI, Washington, D.C. Erdman et al, 2012. Present knowledge in nutrition, 10th edition. ILSI, Wiley-Blackwell, Ames Iowa. Groff & Gropper, 2009. Advanced nutrition and human metabolism, 5th ed. Wadsworth, Belmont, CA. Gropper & Smith, 2013. Advanced nutrition and human metabolism, 6th ed. Wadsworth, Cengage. Belmont, CA. National Research Council, 2009. Dietary Reference Intakes: 6- The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. National Academies Press, Washington, DC. Ross et al, 2014. Modern nutrition in health and disease, 11th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore. Victoria J. Drake, 2011. Micronutrient Information Center: Multivitamin/mineral Supplements. Linus Pauling Institute. Retrieved from: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/multivitamin-mineral.html Read More