Hatrack River Forum: Iron Supplements Can Improve Mental Abilities in Iron Deficient Women

This is topic Iron Supplements Can Improve Mental Abilities in Iron Deficient Women in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :

...and you can read about it here.

I assume that the same would hold true for a man who was iron deficient, but the article doesn't mention it.

[Title edited for clarity]

[ April 20, 2004, 01:57 PM: Message edited by: Noemon ]

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

Men are far less likely to have slight iron deficiencies (or true anemia, for that matter) than pre-menopausal women.

Moreover, some men and a fair number of post-menopausal women have iron levels that are too HIGH, which causes other health complications. Checking your iron levels is a pretty simple blood test. Just go donate blood, and they'll do it for you for free. [Big Grin]

Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :

The keyword to remember here is deficient.

The article says that iron increase brain power in iron-deficient women.

If your iron levels are normal, it is not necessary to take iron supplements, and could even be harmful if your iron is on the high side.

quote:
However, he cautions that women of Anglo-Saxon origins should not rush to take iron supplements without proper medical examination. This is because about one in 20 people of Anglo-Saxon origin carry a gene for "iron overload" or heredity haemochromatosis.

Posted by Bob the Lawyer (Member # 3278) on :

Iron's such a screwed up mineral. You can find literature that claims adding it will cure just about everything and taking it away will cure everything. It's nuts.

And I'm really surprised to hear that healthy people have iron counts that are higher than normal. The human body is terrible both at absorbing and excreting iron. Generally the only way for an otherwise healthy person to overload is by a blood transfusions.

Edit: Oh wait, are you guys talking about levels that are on the high side of normal as opposed to being high enough to pose a significant health risk?

[ April 20, 2004, 01:05 PM: Message edited by: Bob the Lawyer ]

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

Hemochromatosis

Pretty simple treatment -- donate blood! [Big Grin]

Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :

quote:
Oh wait, are you guys talking about levels that are on the high side of normal as opposed to being high enough to pose a significant health risk?

BtL, I was talking about both.

Good link, rivka.

Posted by Bob the Lawyer (Member # 3278) on :

Ah so. Although it's worth pointing out that only ~0.5% of the population have both copies of the gene.

I was wondering why the fact that 5% (1 in 20) of people in America suffer from iron overload wasn't all over the news. [Wink]