Discussing Body Iron is difficult and no single indicator or combination of indicators is ideal for the assessment of iron status in all clinical circumstances.
Each indicator may be affected by a variety of conditions including infection, inflammation.
Liver disease and malignancy, and these factors must be considered in interpreting laboratory investigations.
Iron is very important for sustaining good health. Iron deficiencies can cause fatigue and make us more susceptible to viruses, cancer and a variety of degenerative conditions.
Likewise, iron excess or alteration in the iron-binding capability resulting in free, unbound iron carries the potential for causing or aggravating all diseases, infections, cancers and toxicities.
Therefore is it necessary that we do not only strive to both acquire adequate amounts of iron and rid ourselves of excess iron, and that every effort is made to bind and properly escort iron from the moment it enters the body until it exits.
In addition, binding and escorting iron is particular important during the detoxification process. Otherwise, the many benefits iron provide are easily overshadowed by its toxicity.
Iron is essential to life, because of its unique ability to serve as both an electron donor and acceptor.
But iron can also be potentially toxic. Iron's ability to donate and accept electrons means that if iron is free within the cell, it can catalyze the conversion of hydrogen peroxide into free radicals. And free radicals can cause damage to a wide variety of cellular structures, and ultimately kill the cell.
To prevent that kind of damage, all life forms that use iron bind the iron atoms to proteins. That allows the cells to use the benefits of iron, but also limit its ability to do harm.
Many proteins are enzymes that catalyze biochemical reactions, and are vital to metabolism.
The words protein, polypeptide, and peptide are a little ambiguous and can overlap in meaning.
Protein is generally used to refer to the complete biological molecule in a stable conformation, whereas peptide is generally reserved for a short amino acid oligomers often lacking a stable 3-dimensional structure.
However, the boundary between the two is ill-defined and usually lies near 20-30 residues.
Polypeptide can refer to any single linear chain of amino acids, usually regardless of length, but often implies an absence of a defined conformation
The iron withholding mechanism occurs naturally at the onset of every healthy, acute inflammatory response.
Given full recognition to the natural defence mechanism of iron withholding allows health professionals to be far more effective when building immunity, treating people for cancer, iron deficiency, inflammation, excessive tiredness, memory decline or depression.
The risk in amplified when laboratory testing is inadequate; typical of many insurance driven health plans.
Similarly, there is risk in supplementing iron where the decision to supplement is based solely on a low serum iron reading.
To give an example, when in the chemistry it shows up that a person has low serum iron, an elevated to high Transferrin Iron Binding Capacity and a low Transferrin Saturation, this is an indicator that there is free iron. It also indicates that there is a Copper Deficiency.
Cerruloplasmin is a specialized copper-rich protein that enters the Ferritin molecule to free iron, so it can be attached to transferrin. This is a pretty good marker, when it gets elevated, of a copper deficiency.
Remember that the Cerruloplasmin is the copper bound protein or protein bound copper is the compound that pulls the iron out of the ferritin cage, puts it out on to the transferrin leash and attaches it to the leash.
If the Cerruloplasmin are not there then of course you can have a lot of transferrin in the serum without the iron molecules being attached to the leash.
Each one of these transferrins has two hooks on them so you can put two irons on each leash but if the copper is not there, if you are deficient and can’t make the Cerruloplasmin, what happens Transferrin Iron Binding Capacity rises because you don’t have iron actually attached to enough of the transferrins.
When there is free iron, this also indicates that the iron is not bound to the protein.
One of the consequences of the depleted amino acids pool is that this has an impact on the neurotransmitters.
Therefore it could be helpful to access the iron status as discussed and the amino acid pool.
The diagnosis of Clinical Depression could be dealt with an additional different protocol, which might lead to better outcomes.
By identifying the markers for disturbed iron status and assisting you in developing a comprehensive strategy for achieving a healthy iron status your risk of all disease and toxicity and infection are lessened.
In addition to accurately measuring iron levels, strategies for restoring iron balance need to take into account many factors.
1. Maintaining a healthy intestinal mucosa
2. Sustaining adequate protein levels
3. Sustaining and aerobic versus anaerobic metabolism
4. Achieving a state of alkalinity versus acid stress
5. Maintaining a healthy cytochrome P450 system to rid the body of organic solvents and other toxins that may hinder protein-iron binding
6. Establishing a diet rich in whole eggs and cultured dairy for individuals with a tendency towards free iron, iron overload.
7. Recommending a phlebotomy program for those confirmed with iron overload.
Transferrin, lactoferrin, lactoglobin and ovotransferrin are iron-binding proteins.
Transferrin, the only commonly measured iron-binding protein that is synthesized by the body, is readily taken up by receptors of both healthy cells and cancer cells.
Lactoferrin and lactoglobin, derived from dairy foods, plus ovotransferrin (conalbumin) from eggs binds tightly to free iron
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