Human Iron Metabolism - How The Body Gets Its Iron

How The Body Gets Its Iron

Most of the iron in the body is hoarded and recycled by the reticuloendothelial system, which breaks down aged red blood cells. However, people lose a small but steady amount by sweating and by shedding cells of the skin and the mucosal lining of the gastrointestinal tract. The total amount of loss for healthy people in the developed world amounts to an estimated average of 1 mg a day for men, and 1.5–2 mg a day for women with regular menstrual periods. People with gastrointestinal parasitic infections, more commonly found in developing countries, often lose more.

This steady loss means that people must continue to absorb iron. They do so via a tightly regulated process that under normal circumstances protects against iron overload.

Read more about this topic:  Human Iron Metabolism

Famous quotes containing the words body and/or iron:

    The sucking milk from this our body sends through
    jolts of light; the son, the father,
    sharing mother’s joy
    That brings a softness to the flower of the awesome
    open curling lotus gate I cup and kiss
    Gary Snyder (b. 1930)

    For us she is not the iron lady. She is the kind, dear Mrs. Thatcher.
    Alexander Dubcek (b. 1921)