The Dangers of Iron Overload

IRON OVERLOAD

An essential nutrient yet a major cause of inflammation & oxidative stress

But how do you differentiate between the 2? What makes iron healthy and what makes it toxic?

(THREAD) pic.twitter.com/ZXotbFFVbY

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

Iron is essential for oxygen delivery in your body. Most of our iron is in hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to our cells.

The issue is, if iron is in the wrong form or dose, it can be highly toxic.

If you have excess iron, it reacts with oxygen & rusts you from the inside out.

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

Excess iron can cause all sorts of issues, including:

-Susceptibility to infectious disease
-Gut issues
-Accelerated aging
-Metabolic dysfunction
-Neurodegeneration
-Autoimmune disorders
And much more

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

Heme iron, the iron in animal meat, is the most absorbable form of iron.

Non-heme iron, found in plants, dairy and eggs is less absorbable.

This is not an issue when you have a proper mineral balance otherwise.

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

The danger comes with free or unbound iron (iron not held by a protein).

This is what can cause oxidative stress, damage organs, nourish harmful bacteria, etc.

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

What’s interesting is that if you are iron deficient, your body has the ability to absorb more.

However, the opposite is not true. If you have too much iron, the body is not very good at getting rid of it.

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

This can be a major problem when it comes to the standard American diet for 2 reasons:

1. The standard American diet is loaded with iron fortified foods

2. In the standard American diet, copper and vitamin A deficiencies are very common, both of which you need to recycle iron

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

Foods fortified with iron:

-Fortified flour
-Multivitamins
-Breakfast cereal
-Enriched oatmeal
-Infant formula
-Iron supplements
-White bread

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

Other things that can contribute to excess iron:

-Cooking acidic foods in cast iron
-Pink salt
-Birth control
-Food sprayed with glyphosate
-Fluoride
-Medications

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

Copper is the most important nutrient for the metabolism of iron, iron absorption, iron transportation, and the release of iron.

While iron delivers oxygen to the cells, copper activates the oxygen in the mitochondria to create energy.

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

Without adequate copper, the enzyme ferroxidase cannot recycle iron. When iron cannot be recycled, it mixes with oxygen, and begins to rust inside your body. Make sense?

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

Besides simply eating enough copper, other things that can lead to copper deficiency are:

-High fructose corn syrup
-Antibiotics
-Birth control
-Synthetic vitamins

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

So what can you do about this?

-Donate blood periodically (this is a form of iron release)
-Eat a nutrient rich diet filled with whole foods
-Eat adequate amounts of copper (liver, bee pollen, oysters)

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

-Eat adequate amounts of vitamin A (liver, cod liver, eggs, butter)
-Avoid iron fortified foods, birth control, iron supplements, etc

But of course, always consult with your doctor before making any changes!

— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023

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— Cooking with Chris (@coookwithchris) March 6, 2023