From: Brian Atkins <brian@posthuman.com>
>I thought iron atoms were mainly used by blood cells- by what
>chemical process would they contribute to free radical formation
>in normal body cells?
Indeed iron is an essential component of hemoglobin, which when
incorporated inside red blood cells is esential.
The problem as I understood it is that EXCESS iron in the blood
reeks havoc. (oxidation) In the book "RealAge" I mentioned a few
days ago, the doctor mentions a case where a young (24) man is
brought in in terrible shape, and experiencing life threatening
heart problems. The young man only months before was benching 360
and now was in terrible health.
A through history by the doctor revealed he was taking 10 grams of
iron a day as a supplement, it almost killed him. Fortunately after
treatment to remove the excess iron he made a complete recovery.
I don't have the book handy today but maybe a search on RealAge.com
would bring up the relevant papers.
Several health books I've read recently have pointed out that men
get more than enough iron in their diet, and that any
supplementation is detrimental rather than helpfull.
Brian
Member:
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