D — Updated on April 24, 2023
Eating iron along with foods containing certain vitamins and minerals, such as vi-ta-min C, vitamin A, & beta carotene, may help you absorb more iron. Other foods may hinder your iron absorption.
Bạn đang xem: Prevention of liver damage induced by iron overload
Thus, it’s vitally important to lớn consume adequate amounts of it through your daily diet.
Interestingly, the foods you eat influence not only how much iron you consume but also how well it’s absorbed into your body (1).
Once your toàn thân absorbs iron, it’s used as a building block for hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells that helps shuttle oxygen around your body.
Iron is also a component of myoglobin, an oxygen storage protein found in your muscles. This oxygen is used when you use your muscles.
The recommended iron intake range is 7–18 milligrams (mg) per day for the general population and up khổng lồ 27 (mg) for pregnant women (2).
Which foods contain it?
You may have heard that you can get iron from red meat, but there are many other foods that naturally contain iron.
In foods, iron is present in two forms: heme and non-heme.
Sources of heme iron
Heme iron is found in animal foods that contain hemoglobin, such as meat, fish, and poultry.
Heme iron is the best form of iron, as your body toàn thân readily absorbs up khổng lồ 40% of it (3).
Good food sources of heme iron include:
beefporkchickenvealfish such as halibut, haddock, perch, salmon, or tunashellfish such as clams, oysters, and musselsRed meat và organ meat like liver are particularly good sources of iron.
Sources of non-heme iron
Non-heme iron primarily comes from plant sources and is present in grains, vegetables, & fortified foods.
This is the khung added khổng lồ iron-enriched or iron-fortified foods, as well as many supplements.
It’s estimated that 85–90% of total dietary iron intake in Western populations comes from the non-heme form, while 10–15% comes from the heme khung (3). Up to lớn 40% of iron that the toàn thân absorbs comes from the heme form. (3)
In terms of its bioavailability, non-heme iron is absorbed much less efficiently than heme iron.
Good sources of non-heme iron include:
fortified cereals, rice, wheat, and oatsdark green leafy vegetables lượt thích spinach & kaledried fruits lượt thích raisins và apricotsbeans like lentils và soybeansSummaryHeme iron is found in animal foods, while non-heme iron comes from plant sources. Your toàn thân can better absorb heme iron than the non-heme form.
Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia, which affects about 25% of the world’s population (4, 5).
A person who is iron deficient may have various symptoms, including fatigue, dizziness, headaches, sensitivity to lớn cold, và shortness of breath when doing simple tasks. (6)
Moreover, iron deficiency can result in poorer attention span & mental function. In fact, iron deficiency in early childhood has been linked lớn learning challenges (2).
Children, adolescents, & women of reproductive age, particularly during pregnancy, are most at risk of iron deficiency. This is because their iron intake typically does not meet their body’s high demand for it (2).
Additionally, it’s commonly thought that vegetarians & vegans are more prone to lớn iron deficiency. But there are conflicting studies on this point.
A 2018 research review found that vegetarians are more likely to have low iron stores than non-vegetarians. The authors of the analysis nonetheless recommended that people eat more plants and less meat given that high iron stores are a risk factor for some noncommunicable diseases (7).
Meanwhile, a 2021 study found that after inflammation was eliminated as a factor, vegetarians had the same prevalence of iron deficiency as those following an omnivore (meat-and-plant) diet. (8)
It’s generally recommended that vegetarians multiply their recommended iron intake by 1.8 to compensate for the reduced absorption of non-heme iron (2).
SummaryIron deficiency is very common. Those who are most at risk include children, adolescents, women of reproductive age, pregnant women, vegetarians, và vegans.
While not all dietary iron is absorbed equally, some foods can enhance your body’s ability lớn absorb it.
Foods rich in vi-ta-min C
Vitamin C has been shown lớn enhance iron absorption. It captures non-heme iron và stores it in a form that your toàn thân can absorb more easily (1).
Foods high in vi-ta-min C include citrus fruits, dark green leafy vegetables, bell peppers, melons, và strawberries.
Hence, drinking citrus juice or eating other foods rich in vitamin C while you’re eating high-iron foods can increase your body’s absorption.
In vegetarian & vegan diets, iron absorption may be optimized by including vitamin C–containing vegetables during meals (1).
Foods with vi-ta-min A & beta-carotene
Vitamin A plays a critical role in maintaining healthy vision, bone growth, & your immune system.
Beta-carotene is a red-orange pigment found in plants & fruits. It can be turned into vi-ta-min A in your body.
Good food sources of beta-carotene and vitamin A include carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, squash, red peppers, cantaloupe, apricots, oranges, và peaches.
Vitamin A helps khổng lồ release iron that the body stores. Therefore, adequate vi-ta-min A plays an important role in preventing iron deficiency anemia (9).
Meat, fish, và poultry
Meat, fish, & poultry not only provide well-absorbed heme iron, but they can also stimulate the absorption of the non-heme form. Eating a meal that combines heme iron with non-heme iron can help increase the amount of non-heme iron the toàn thân absorbs (10).
SummaryEating foods high in vi-ta-min C, vitamin A, or beta-carotene can enhance your body’s absorption of iron from meals. Eating meat, fish, or poultry with other foods can also help.
Just as some foods can improve iron absorption, others can hinder it.
Foods containing phytate
Phytate, or phytic acid, is found in foods like whole grains, cereals, soy, nuts, and legumes (3). It’s important to lưu ý that proper soaking can remove phytic acid from beans & lentils.
Even a small amount of phytate can significantly decrease iron absorption (1).
Nonetheless, the negative effect of phytate can be counteracted by consuming foods that enhance non-heme iron absorption, such as vi-ta-min C or meat.
Calcium-rich foods
Calcium is an essential mineral for bone health.
But some evidence shows that it hinders the absorption of heme và non-heme iron (1).
A 2021 research review found that calcium had a negative effect on the short-term absorption of iron, but the effect was low. (11)
To maximize absorption, calcium-rich foods should not be eaten with meals that provide most of your dietary iron.
Regarding supplements, calcium and iron supplements should be taken at different times of the day if possible.
Foods containing polyphenols
Polyphenols are found in various amounts in plant foods and beverages, including vegetables, fruits, some cereals & legumes, tea, coffee, và wine.
Coffee and tea, both of which are widely consumed around meals, have a high content of polyphenols, và they have been shown khổng lồ inhibit the absorption of non-heme iron (3).
A 2019 nhận xét of studies found that polyphenols did not interfere with iron bioavailability. But the review’s authors noted the limitations of the research và recommended further study (12).
To counteract the negative effect of polyphenols, be sure to lớn leave a couple of hours between your iron-rich meal và your afternoon tea or coffee.
SummaryFoods containing phytates, calcium, and polyphenols can significantly reduce iron absorption.
Iron toxicity from food sources is rare. Once it’s consumed, your body has its own balancing system to lớn make certain that it gets just enough.
But fatal overdoses và adverse health effects are possible with excessive intake of iron supplements (2).
Excessive iron levels can also occur in some people with a condition called hemochromatosis. This is usually caused by a gene that enhances absorption (13).
Other causes of iron overload include repeated blood transfusions, massive doses from the diet, & rare metabolic disorders.
Additionally, consuming too much iron over time may cause large deposits of the mineral to khung in the liver và other tissues.
It can be helpful khổng lồ talk with a healthcare professional if you’re considering taking an iron supplement.
SummaryConsuming too much iron can have health risks. Because of this risk, supplements are not recommended for most people.
The tips below can help you maximize your dietary iron intake:
Eat lean red meat: This is the best source of easily absorbed heme iron. Eating it several times per week can help if you’re deficient.Eat chicken và fish: These are also good sources of heme iron. Eat a variety of them.Avoid coffee, tea, or milk near meals that contain iron-rich foods: Have your coffee or tea between meals instead.Choose foods rich in non-heme iron: If you don’t eat meat and fish, include plenty of iron-rich plant foods in your diet.SummaryTo maximize your iron intake, try to include meat, fish, poultry, & iron-rich plant foods in your diet, as well as vitamin C-rich foods during your meals. Also, spread out your tea, coffee, và dairy intake between meals.
Iron is a vital mineral that’s essential for your body toàn thân to function well. Two types of it are found in food — heme & non-heme.
Meat, fish, & poultry contain the heme form, which your body toàn thân easily absorbs.
Non-heme iron is mainly found in plant foods, but your toàn thân has a harder time absorbing it. You can improve your body’s absorption by eating foods containing vitamin C, vitamin A, along with meat, fish, & poultry during your meals.
On the other hand, foods containing phytates (cereals và grains), calcium (milk và dairy), và polyphenols (tea & coffee) can hinder iron absorption.
By carefully selecting the foods you eat và knowing how certain foods can enhance or inhibit absorption, you can make sure you’re getting the iron you need.
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Dual kích hoạt of vi-ta-min C in iron supplement therapeutics for iron deficiency anemia: prevention of liver damage induced by iron overload
* Corresponding authors
a Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Hypertension, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, trung quốc E-mail: jxhm56
hotmail.com
b Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology, Nanchang University School of Pharmaceutical Science, Nanchang 330006, đài loan trung quốc
c Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, đài loan trung quốc E-mail: dongyin24
Vitamin C, an excellent reducing agent, aids in increasing absorbable ferrous iron in iron deficiency anemia. As an efficient antioxidant, it is still unknown whether vitamin C exerts protective effects against liver damage caused by iron excess and whether mitochondria are the target effectors of the above effects. In this study, 48 mice were randomly divided into a control group, iron-overload group, TAU-treated + iron-overload group & vitamin C-treated + iron-overload group with 12 mice per group. The mice were fed 4 months on pellet diets supplemented with iron in the form of ferrocene. The iron ratio in the diet was maintained at 0.2% (w/w) for 90 days và then 0.4% (w/w) for the remaining 30 days. Furthermore, 2 g kg−1 vitamin C & 20 mg kg−1 TAU were administered daily by oral gavage prior khổng lồ iron-overload administration at 6 weeks và throughout the course of the experiments. We investigated the protective effects of vitamin C against liver damage by assessing the liver weight to toàn thân weight ratio (LW/BW), serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) và alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities, and histological changes. In addition, enzymatic & non-enzymatic antioxidants, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial swelling, và mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were evaluated khổng lồ clarify the antioxidant effects of vi-ta-min C. We found that vi-ta-min C significantly attenuated impaired liver function in mice induced by iron overload via antioxidation, whereas no significant effect on iron uptake was observed. Vi-ta-min C targeted the mitochondria, preventing mitochondrial swelling, MMP dissipation, and ROS burst, thus inhibiting hepatic apoptosis. Collectively, our results suggest that vitamin C acts as a “double agent” in iron supplementation therapy for iron deficiency anemia, boosting iron absorption for preventing iron deficiency và preventing liver damage due lớn excessive iron intake during treatment.