Nutrition

Iron

NOTE: Nutrition cannot realistically be fragmented, or divided, into its individual nutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc.). A whole food is exponentially superior to the sum of its measurable nutrients. In speaking of fragmented terms such as “protein,” “carbohydrate,” and “fat,” we must always remember that real food comes in a whole form.

Heme vs Non-Heme

Like calcium and magnesium, iron is a mineral. Dietary iron is categorized into two groups:

Heme Iron: iron from animal-based foods (such as meat)
Non-Heme Iron: iron from plant-based foods

We are told that heme (animal) iron is better than non-heme (plant) iron because non-heme iron isn’t as heavily absorbed. But as with vitamin A, higher absorption isn’t always better; in fact, the high (uncontrolled) absorption of active nutrients from animal foods can easily reach toxic levels. Plant sources of iron (from whole plant foods) are properly bound and delivered to the body in a safe, controlled form. The body will carefully manage its absorption of non-heme iron according to its needs. Unbound or uncontrolled iron – iron from animal-based foods (“heme” iron) – can act as a heavy metal in the body and cause significant damage to health (Kell).

Anemia: Not Just Iron

Anemia is very common disorder from either not enough blood in the body, or not enough hemoglobin in the blood. Hemoglobin is what carries oxygen in the blood to all the body tissues. Without enough hemoglobin, everything slows down and we feel a lack of energy, among other symptoms.

It is a common half-truth that anemia is caused by iron deficiency; as a result, many individuals with anemia are prescribed iron supplements. Although iron supplements can temporarily increase blood iron levels, patients often report that the supplements “stop working” after a short time. That is because the supplemented iron acts as a heavy metal in the body and temporarily forces hemoglobin production, but this does not resolve the underlying problem. Anemia is more likely caused by a deficiency in bioavailable (usable) iron, as a result of other mineral deficiencies, especially magnesium. In fact, magnesium deficiency is more commonly the cause of anemia than is iron deficiency, and a diet deficient in magnesium causes anemia (Huang, et al; Piomelli, et al; Zumin, et al).

Iron Dumping

Menstruating women often notice that their periods become heavier and more painful when they begin taking iron supplements. Unfortunately, doctors conventionally respond by increasing iron supplementation to “make up for” the increased iron loss in the menstrual bleeding. We would do well to consider that there may be a reason the body responds the way it does (see also Omega-3’s). As mentioned above, iron supplements can be dangerous and act as heavy metals in the body. The increased heaviness of menstrual bleeding may be the body’s way of dumping the excess iron, and the supplementation should be stopped. Magnesium supplementation is a safer and generally more effective treatment of anemia.

RESEARCH

Kell DB. Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases. BMC Med Genomics, 2:2, Jan. 2009.

Huang J, et al. Association Between Magnesium Intake and the Risk of Anemia Among Adults in the United States. Frontiers in Nutrition, 10: 1046749, 23 Feb. 2023.

Piomelli S, et al. The Hemolytic Anemia of Magnesium Deficiency in Adult Rats. Blood, 41(3): 451-9, Mar. 1973.

Zumin S, et al. Joint Association of Magnesium and Iron Intake with Anemia Among Chinese Adults. Nutrition, 24(10): 977-84, Oct. 2008.

McDougall C, et al. Plant-Based Diets Are Not Nutritionally Deficient. [Letter] Permanente Journal, 17(4): 93, Fall 2013.

McMacken M, et al. A Plant-Based Diet for the Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, 24(5), 342-354, May 2017.