Wed, Nov-06-02, 14:12
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Forum Founder
Posts: 37,232
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Plan: LC, GF
Stats: 241/188/140
BF:
Progress: 52%
Location: Eastern ON, Canada
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Iron "may" be a problem if you're male or post-menopausal woman. Apparently, there was a study done in the mid-90's that showed men with levels of stored iron greater than 200 mcg/dL had increased risk of heart disease. This is what the Eades discuss in their latest book, Protein Power Lifeplan. However, that study has never been duplicated, and in fact, a study published in the Amer. Journal of Cardiology in 1997 showed the exact opposite ... higher levels of stored iron were actually protective against heart disease
Quote:
Serum iron level, coronary artery disease, and all-cause mortality in older men and women
Authors :Corti MC; Guralnik JM; Salive ME; Ferrucci L; Pahor M; Wallace RB; Hennekens CH; Epidemiology, Demography, and Biometry Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9205, USA.
Source:Am J Cardiol, 1997 Jan, 79:2, 120-7
The association between iron levels and coronary artery disease (CAD) mortality is controversial. Whereas most data show no association, some have raised the possibility of a causal role, while others have suggested a protective effect of iron on CAD. To address these possibilitiees, we examined the association between serum iron and CAD, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality in a large cohort of 3,936 persons aged > or =71 years who completed an interview, had serum iron determination, and survived at least 1 year after baseline. The median follow-up time was 4.4 years. Serum iron levels were categorized according to sex-specific quartiles.
There was a gradual decrease in the risks of CAD, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality with increasing serum iron levels. Men in the highest iron quartile were one fifth as likely to die of CAD as men in the lowest iron quartile, and women in the highest quartile had half the risk of women in the lowest quartile. When compared with the lowest quartile, risk of all-cause mortality was 38% lower in men in the highest iron quartile and 28% lower in women in the highest quartile.
In this large cohort of persons aged > or =71 years, there was consistent evidence of increasing risk of mortality at lower serum iron levels. In fact, lower serum iron levels were associated with an increased risk of CAD, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality. The results are compatible with the possibility that in an older population, there is an inverse association between serum iron levels and risk of mortality.
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Younger women who are still menstruating are unlikely to have high levels of stored iron, since some is lost with the monthly bleeding. As well, younger women are more likely to have a history of low fat dieting that's deficient in red meat and other sources of iron.
The RDA for adults is 15 mg. A 6 oz broiled extra lean beef filet steak provides 3 mg iron 
If you're concerned about iron levels, whether too high or too low .. don't guess. Get a serum ferritin level taken to be sure.
note: you should NOT take iron supplements if you have a condition called hemochromatosis. If in doubt, discuss with your doctor.
Doreen
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why no iron?
welcome
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