Nutrition

Proteins play an important role in many physiologic processes of the body. They occur in the genetic material, the hormones, the enzymes, in the hemoglobin as well as in the bones, the hair, the nails in every cell of our body. They are responsible for many allergies, but at the same time essential for the immune system to protect us. They work as a means of transport for the absorption of vitamins, minerals and fat.

Smallest Building Blocks

Proteins are made up of so-called amino acids. We know 20 amino acids, which we take in through different protein food sources and convert them to the body’s own protein. These 20 tiny building blocks can be assembled in countless combinations to form chains and intertwined structures. Assuming we were assembling a chain of only 10 out of these 20 different parts, this would give 10,240,000,000,000 different possibilities. Human proteins, however, consist of 50 to 1000 or more amino acids. This is the source of the infinite variety, and God created every human being with its own personal protein pattern. But here lies the problem of organ transplants. A transplanted organ is rejected as foreign by the immune system, since it has a completely different protein composition. This needs to be resolved with rigorous compatibility tests and the application of immune depressing drugs after the operation.

Sources of Dietary Proteins

Plants are the only ones able to produce protein from inorganic compounds, such as minerals from the soil and gases from the air. Animals and humans assemble their own body protein from amino acids found in plants: legumes, fruits, vegetables, seeds, herbs and grasses. The protein that humans take in from animal nutrition such as milk, eggs and meat are originating the same way from plants. But this detour is an enormous waste. Because from 100 grams of ingested vegetable protein, the animal can only produce 8 to 10 grams of meat protein. Truly a waste of raw materials when we think of the steady increase in the world population.

The question now arises as to which protein is more valuable, that of animals or plants? Which one is utilized better by the body? The value of a food protein is traditionally determined by its amino acid pattern. The better the pattern corresponds to people’s needs, the higher the value. This in turn is determined by the quantity of each of the essential amino acids a food contains.

Essential Amino Acids

The body can build some of the 20 amino acids on its own. Those he doesn’t necessarily need to get through his diet. There are nine amino acids he is not able to produce, but they are vital to our health and must be supplied through our diet. A protein that contains all essential amino acids in sufficient quantity is considered a complete protein.

The protein contained in meat is considered to be a complete protein. The protein contained in eggs and milk is superior to meat in terms of digestibility and value. Grains have a low value because it contains little of an important essential amino acid called lysine. However, this is not a problem, because we do not only eat cereals for a meal. Combining our grains with legumes, this deficiency is made up and all essential amino acids are present in sufficient amounts. We combine all kinds of foods and so we get all the important amino acids with a varied diet.

In addition, the body itself provides important protein. It recycles cells that are being renewed, as well as hormones and enzymes that have performed their function. The body is very economical with this protein. Little is excreted in the stool and urine, but a large part is broken down into the individual amino acids and goes into the storage pool, from which new protein compounds are built up. So we don’t need to worry that we might be missing an amino acid in a certain meal, since the body has enough protein storage for 2 to 3 days. A purely plant-based diet can provide us optimally if we put together clever combinations. Very valuable combinations are, for example, lettuce and potatoes, or legumes and cereals. Nuts and seeds also provide valuable protein and can be incorporated very easily. It doesn’t have to be meat. The consumption of animal protein goes hand in hand with an increased consumption of cholesterol, fat and purines, all risk factors for diseases such as gout and cardiovascular diseases.

Excessive Protein

Excess fat is deposited in the fat cells. Excess carbohydrates are converted into glycogen, stored in the muscles and the liver; when these stores are also full it is converted into fat and stored in fat cells. Excess protein cannot be stored as such. It has to be metabolized. When protein is broken down, ammonia is produced, which is a cell poison. The body immediately converts it into urea, which can then be excreted through the kidneys. This process puts an extra burden on liver and kidneys. The increased uric acid levels will increase the risks of gout. The scientific literature also describes an increase in the excretion of calcium via the kidneys. This has a negative effect on calcium balance and can lead to osteoporosis. The risk of calcium oxalate stones forming in the kidney also increases with an increased protein intake.

Another problem of excess protein is heart disease. Interestingly, animal protein is able to raise cholesterol levels, while plant protein can lower cholesterol levels.((Van der Meer, R,, Beynen, A.C.. 1987. Species-dependant responsiveness of serum cholesterol to dietary proteins.
J.Am.Oil.Chem. Soc. 64:1172-1177; Sanches A., Horning M.C., Shavlin G.W., Wingeleth D.C., Hubbard R.W. 1985. Changes
in levels of cholesterol associated with plasma amino acids in humans fed plant proteins. Nutr.Rep.Int. 32:1047-1056.)) An important factor that differentiates animal from plant protein is the ratio between the amino acids arginine and lysine. For the same reason, animal protein is responsible for the development of cancer, while certain plant proteins can have even a protective function.

Excess protein can have a negative influence on endurance. It is interesting that the majority of high performing athletes are nowadays vegetarians, loading up on complex carbohydrates for optimal performance. This makes sense, since carbohydrates are the best energy source, while the protein demands to promote healthy muscle growth are actually quite moderate.

There are several high protein diets that are being promoted for several reasons. Bodybuilders are using protein shakes to promote muscle growth, while others are opting for high protein diets to achieve weight loss. All of those high protein diets will show though a heavy toll on our health.

How Much Protein?

Experts recommend an intake of 0.8 g protein per kilo of body weight per day, which is around 56 g for an adult weighing 150lb (70 kg). These recommendations have already a generous safety margin.

Yet as you can see from this illustration, the average person eating a westernized diet is eating twice the recommended amount, and often even more.

Just 3 meals of these commonly eaten foods contain over 180 grams of protein! The protein excess is the cause of many so-called lifestyle diseases.

Switching to a plant based diet, protein consumption is normally closer to the recommended amounts. Eating a variety of unrefined plant-based foods, will be sufficient to meet or even exceed the required daily amounts, without creating any excess in protein.

Protein Deficiency

Developing countries have often problems with protein deficiencies. Growing children need more protein than adults. Therefore, young children are particularly affected by protein deficiency. The growth is slow, and muscle loss occurs. The liver is often enlarged. Water accumulates in the tissue, leading to the formation of edema, hence the distended bellies of malnourished children. Skin and hair change. It often leads to diarrhea. The immune system is weakened. It comes to hormone deficiency. In western countries, those protein deficiencies are extremely rare.

A Whole Food Diet with Variety

A variety of foods is contributing to our protein requirements. There is no need to cover all the required amino acids in every meal. This could put too much strain on our digestive system. The diversity should be achieved over a longer period of time. If one meal is protein deficient, the next one can make up for it. Since animal foods are very rich in protein and have other disadvantages, a maximum of one-third of the total amount of protein should come from such foods. At least two thirds should come from plant sources. But even a strictly plant based diet, in which animal products are completely avoided, covers the needs of all essential amino acids, when you maintain a healthy variety.

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Autumn has filled our pantries again. The potatoes are stored. The apples are lined up in the hurdles. Cabbage heads wandered into the sauerkraut barrel. Celery, carrots and beets are waiting to be eaten. Everything provides us with vitamins and minerals in winter. Or are they maybe deficient today? In the back of our minds there are advertising claims of supplement producers: Our food no longer provides us with enough vital nutrients. The soils are depleted, the environmental pollution is great, the living conditions are unfavorable. Can we really maintain our health only by taking pills?

Anyone who wants a feast for his eyes and the smell of fresh produce in his nose, goes to a fruit and vegetable market. It is particularly colorful and rich in the fall. How many delicacies are piled up on the stands!

Two women are talking about the rich variety. Who knows if it still makes sense to spend all this money on these fruits and vegetables. Maybe it looks just beautiful and doesn’t live up to its promise. There is so much advertising that tries to make us believe that we all suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies because the plants are no longer the way they used to be. Once I even saw a comparison chart – ingredients, today and 50 years ago. Supposedly today there is much less than in the past.

Such advertisements are unsettling consumers. It is made clear to them that only the daily use of mineral and vitamin pills can provide them optimally. The arguments: the soil is depleted, the cultivation in greenhouses is not optimal, and the acid rain is contributing to the problem. But there are hardly any data and facts that can stand up to scientific methods.

Changes in Analysis

The evidence used are charts that compare our foods from today with the past. You can see that there is much less carotene in carrots today than before. Why this? That must be because of the depleted soil! Just today we know around 600 different carotenoids. Some of them are important for us humans as vitamins or precursors of vitamins. The plant actually produces the carotenoids for itself, for its own protection. 50 years ago, it was not even possible to detect many of those ingredients. And it is not so easy to separate and analyze the individual ingredients exactly. Today the methods are getting better and more precise. We are able now to separate the different carotenoids. In the past, they were all counted together. Today you can tell them apart. There is lycopene in tomatoes and lutein in corn. Beta-carotene is the most important carotenoid for us humans, and it is the one that is showing up in nutritional tables of today. And of course, there is less of the beta-carotene than the total amount of carotenes. Today as well as 50 years ago!

Some vitamins have a very complex chemical structure. If just one small appendix is missing, it no longer has the effect of an active vitamin. Due to the much more detailed analysis, today some will no longer be recognized as a vitamin, what used to be counted in the analytic methods of the past.

Soils are Better than its Reputation

Ecologists confirm that the soils are better supplied today than they were at the time when fertilizers were spread in large quantities on the fields just to increase the amount of harvest. There are exceptions, of course. But wherever crop rotation, green manuring and the targeted use of fertilizers are used, the soils are well supplied and with them the plants. If soils were missing certain minerals, they would not even grow and mature.

Nutrient Content in the Plants

The nutrient content in the plants is not only dependent on the properties of the soil. Conditions such as watering, sunlight, temperature and harvest time also play an important role. The choice of variety is very important. Newer apple varieties often have much more vitamin C than old varieties. They were bred with that intention. If you take all these reasons into account, it is not surprising that, for example, two analysis of different types of pepper can result in a difference of 50 – 80% in the vitamin C content.

New Storage Technology

Large-scale storage technology makes it possible for vitamins to be retained in apples for a long time. Controlled atmosphere storage is the name of the achievement that in recent years has given us crisp, vitamin-rich apples even in spring. In the so-called CA storage, maturity and metabolic processes are greatly slowed down. Compared to cold storage, the vitamin C content in apples from CA storage is 70% higher in spring.

Just with the delivery to retailers, this quality control ends. The responsibility now rests with retailers and consumers. How will the goods be treated further? How long has it been lying around on the shelves? Is it exposed to direct sunlight or other light sources? Fruits and vegetables should be fresh in color and crisp when opened. Regional and seasonal products should be preferred. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t eat a tomato or pineapple in the winter. Food preparation also plays a major role. Long cooking times, discarding the cooking water and keeping things warm for a long time significantly reduce the nutrient content.

Lifestyle

When vitamin C is advertised with the words: “Never again a heart attack” this is misleading. This benefits only the bank accounts of supplement manufacturers. And it is easier to take a pill than to make lifestyle changes. Just we know that not only vitamin C protects against heart attack, it requires the whole lifestyle. A high-fat diet, sedentary lifestyle and smoking are just as much a killer as a vitamin deficiency.

The Whole Apple – Not Just a Part

The protective effect of plant-based foods is not limited to vitamins and minerals. Scientific research shows more and more clearly that the supplementary effects of phytochemicals help our health. We need the whole apple, not just the vitamins and minerals. And most are undersupplied because of their abstinence from fruits and vegetables, and not because of the depleted soil. 650 g of fruit and vegetables daily, combined with whole-grain products and nuts, that is what nutrition experts recommend. Governments around the world advocate the consumption of at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables daily. But only 1 in 11 Americans are reaching this recommended minimum. So how much fruits and vegetables did you eat today?

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Corn in the morning, corn at noon, corn in the evening. Corn as bread, groats, porridge and soup. The corn eaters in Louisiana state are getting sick. Around 1920, the Washington Department of Health sends Dr. Joseph Goldberger, a bacteriologist, to the Mississippi. But it is not bacteria or viruses that have contaminated corn and make people sick. Goldberger gives people brewer’s yeast as a supplement to corn and they get healthy. The meager, one-sided diet was to blame. At that time it was not known that vitamins and trace elements were bringing the cure.

Yeasts are one of the microorganisms. Louis Pasteur was the first to see the spherical unicellular organisms under the microscope. On the one hand, these microorganisms are autonomous and maintain an independent cell metabolism. On the other hand, they are very dependent on a highly nutritious solution in order to multiply. In the case of brewer’s yeast (Saccharomyces cervisiae) it is the germinated grain or molasses. Diverse enzymes make the dormant grain during germination a highly vital food that benefits the yeast cells.

Brewer’s Yeast – An Ancient Nutrient of Humanity

The nutritional value of brewer’s yeast was already known in the high culture of the Sumerians. Beer was considered a nutritious drink. It has not been so thoroughly filtered as nowadays, and the containing yeast sediment was drunk together. The Egyptians even considered the beer sludge as a medicine. And in the Middle Ages, the friars used barley juice as medicine. Today we can examine the ingredients of brewer’s yeast in the laboratory. We are also no longer tied to the brewery to make brewer’s yeast. It is grown on other nutritious solutions. Nutritional Yeast, grown this way has a milder taste compared to the slightly bitter taste of Brewer’s Yeast. The yeast is grown on molasses, wood sugar, beer or whey basis. The yeast milk is then dried on rollers and more or less crushed or ground. In contrast to baker’s yeast, nutritional yeast dried in this way is no longer a raising agent.

Ingredients of Nutritional Yeast

Let’s start with the vitamins that have helped our corn eaters on the Mississippi so well to fight the dreaded pellagra disease. It is mainly the vitamins of the B group: B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, but also pantothenic acid and folic acid that make yeast so valuable. B vitamins are essential for the entire metabolism, for the brain and nerves, skin and hair, as well as bone and tooth formation. Yeast provides numerous trace elements. They are needed for coenzymes along with vitamins. Zinc is needed for the immune system, chromium for glucose tolerance factor in sugar utilization; Selenium for the capture of free radicals; Iron and cobalt are needed for blood formation. In addition, there is a lot of phosphorus, sodium, potassium, calcium and even iodine in nutritional yeast.

Alpha-lipoic acid is one of the most versatile free radical scavengers because it can hunt down dangerous free radicals in both fat-soluble and water-soluble media, protecting cell components, enzymes and genetic information from damage. Free radicals are involved in the development of most diseases. Glutathione, a sulfur-containing compound, is also part of the antioxidative protection system. Beta-glucans from the yeast cell walls have an immune-stimulating effect, especially in the digestive tract.

A Smart and Clear Mind Up to Old Age

Another substance in nutritional yeast is choline. The body can produce this substance in the liver itself. However, this self-synthesis must be supplemented by dietary choline. Choline is essential for the elastic structure of the cell walls, but also for signal transmission from cell to cell and for the formation of messenger substances. Declining brain performance and poor memory in old age are associated with reduced choline synthesis. The targeted supply of choline leads to an improvement in nerve and memory performance. The various substances in nutritional yeast, which we have already got to know as radical scavengers, also act as a protective factor. Glutathione in particular is considered a miracle weapon against premature aging and chronic ailments. The number of Alzheimer’s patients is constantly increasing. A lot can be prevented here with a targeted diet rich in active ingredients. Nutritional yeast is a real powerhouse of active ingredients!

A Variety of Yeast Products

In what form can we consume nutritional yeast? One form is yeast extract, a brown, spicy paste. It is made from yeast cultures, with or without added salt or added spices. The taste and composition vary depending on the production method. Yeast extract is superior to meat extract in taste. You can use yeast extract as a spread, to flavor soups and sauces. It can be used as a supplement when there are deficiencies in B vitamins. However, the nucleic acid content is very considerable. In the case of gout, you should use it sparingly because of its relatively high purine content. Drinking a lot of water can help so that the uric acid can be excreted properly.

Yeast flakes are becoming increasingly popular. I use them regularly as an addition to salads. My guests will always ask what is the special twist of my salads. It is “only” the yeast flakes that taste very special – slightly nutty. Yeast flakes can also be stirred into soups, sauces, soy milk or into muesli and yoghurt. You shouldn’t cook them. Yeast flakes are mixed into homemade spreads, be they sweet or savory. Nutritional yeast is also available in liquid form.

In the form of yeast tablets, nutritional yeast has also established itself as a dietary supplement. Some of them are enriched with vitamins and minerals. Even in animal husbandry are they being used. Yeast tablets are used as a cure for skin blemishes, for beautiful hair and for a lack of B vitamins. Diabetics and those with liver disease also benefit from a yeast cure.

Baker’s yeasts are live yeasts that are offered fresh or dried. Such living yeasts are fermentable used to raise the dough of bread and pastries. Baker’s yeast is a pure yeast culture and does not contain any brewer’s yeast. For humans, they have no nutritional value because their cell walls are indigestible and the nutrients present in the interior of the cells can not be utilized.

Nutritional Yeast for Beauty

Nutritional yeast helps with skin blemishes. A simple peeling can be made with one tablespoon of yeast flakes and 2 tablespoons of cream. Mix well the two ingredients. The face needs to be cleaned with lukewarm water. Now the mixture is applied by hand, massaged in and then washed off again with lukewarm water.

A honey yeast flake mask is made from two tablespoons of vegetable oil, which is gently warmed in a water bath. Then dissolve in it one tablespoon of honey and add two tablespoons of brewer’s yeast. Mixing everything very well you apply the mask with the hand on the face and decollete. They are allowed some time to dry and then rinse off with lukewarm water.

It’s amazing how versatile nutritional yeast is. They should be used much more often in the kitchen, in animal husbandry and in skin care. Initially, it was hailed as a high-quality protein. Of these, we have more than enough anyway. Today it is used as what it really is: a high-quality food supplement.

We were created with a liking for sweet, but not all sweet things are alike or have the same effects. Even natural sweets vary in their properties. Here are some facts about “sweets” you may wish to consider as you make progress in the health journey you have started.

Fruits

The natural or “intrinsic” sugar found in fruit has two great advantages over “extrinsic” sugar added to foods, particularly if those foods are refined: it is better tolerated by diabetics, and it is less fattening. In addition to that, fiber, found in fruit, slows the absorption of sugars; thus less insulin is required. The less insulin is secreted, the less fat is produced (since one of insulin’s effects is promotion of lipogenesis, synthesis of lipids or fats in the body).

The Sweet Herb

Stevia (stevia rebaudiana) is used as a no-calorie sweetener. The ground herb is usually refined to a white powder, with its sweetness concentrated. Depending on how it is processed, it can have a bitter aftertaste.
Benefits of stevia:

• Provides a sweet taste with no calories
• Does not cause dental caries
• Effective in blood pressure reduction (it acts as a vasodilator)
• Improves glucose tolerance, being beneficial for diabetics

Natural Syrups

When used in moderation, such sweeteners as molasses, honey, and maple syrup are a good option for diabetic persons. Molasses contains less sugar, provides vitamin B6, and is very rich in minerals, particularly iron, calcium, and magnesium. Honey contains enzymes and properties endowed with medicinal properties. Maple syrup provides no vitamins, but it contains certain amount of minerals (calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and particularly zinc).

Chemical Sweeteners

The use of these substances is growing, due to the increasing interest in the developing world in lowering caloric intake. Saccharine, cyclamates, aspartame, and acesulfame K are the most commonly-used chemical sweeteners by the food industry as well as by individuals. They are also the most criticized.
Drawbacks to Chemical Sweeteners:

• They provide no nutrients.
• They pose health risks. All synthetic intense sweeteners present some risk of undesirable effects, from nervous disturbances to carcinogenic effects. There is an ADI (Acceptable Daily Intake) for each that should not be exceeded.
• Paradoxical effect. Contrary to what would be expected of these sweeteners, they could produce an increase in appetite, with its accompanying weight gain.

Bitter Side of Sugar

A century ago, sugar was used as a seasoning. Today it is used as a staple food. Most families buy more sugar than rice. The abuse of sugar has caused a number of detrimental side effects for our health:

• Calcium loss. Sugar metabolism requires B-complex vitamins (particularly B1) and minerals (calcium in particular). When sugar (which contains no vitamins or minerals) or refined foods are consumed, the body is forced to use its own reserves, thus risking deficiencies.
• Dental caries. All simple sugars promote tooth decay.
• Triglycerides. Sugar consumption increases the level of these fatty substances in the blood, which, in turn, promotes arteriosclerosis and heart disease.
• Obesity. Sugar and sugary foods are major causes of obesity in children and adults.
• Hyperactivity. There is a relationship between sugar consumption and certain behavioral disorders such as hyperactivity or attention deficit (ADHD).
• Gallstones.
• Crohn’s Disease. The combination of a great deal of sugar and little fiber is one of the causative factors of this disease.
• Gastroduodenal Ulcer. The use of sugar, together with a diet of refined foods low in fiber, increases the risk.
• Diabetes. There are no studies that prove that the liberal use of sugar is a cause of diabetes, but evidently it does make it worse and more serious.
• Bone Brittleness. A high-fat, high-sugar diet depletes calcium reserves in the body. This causes the bones to become brittle and fracture.
• Stomach Cancer. Sugar, saturated fat, and calcium increase the risk of stomach cancer.
• Colon Cancer.
• Retarded Fetal Growth. Pregnant adolescents who consume excess sugar have the probability of giving birth to low-weight babies.

Conclusion

There are differences between white sugar and more natural sweeteners. But all concentrated sweeteners need to be used with moderation. We need to get used to the natural taste of fruits. Anything that will taste sweeter than that will cause some harm, no matter what source they come from. Moderation is the key. And it is time to adjust our tastebuds to the natural tastes that God has created for us.

This article was published originally in the Journal of Health and Healing, a publication of Wildwood Institute.

Globally, between one and two billion people in both developed and developing countries suffer from iron deficiency. It is the most frequently observed nutritional deficiency.

Even so should iron consumption be considered critical, because an iron overload has its own problems. The healthy body protects itself for a long time from being overloaded with iron by means of various mechanisms. But unfortunately, this mechanism doesn’t work for some people. They suffer from haemochromatosis, the iron storage disease.

Iron Inside the Organism

The primary role of iron is the binding of oxygen to hemoglobin in red blood cells. It transports the oxygen from the alveoli via the blood vessels to the body cells. On the way back, the hemoglobin takes the carbon dioxide formed in the cells with it into the lungs, where it is excreted with the breath.

But iron has yet many other tasks. It helps the immune system fight pathogens. Experiments have shown that both an iron deficiency and an excess hinder the body’s phagocytes in their task of rendering bacterial pathogens harmless.

Iron is also a component of many enzymes, which in turn perform a wide variety of tasks in the body. They help to ward off oxygen from producing free radicals, they transfer electrons during energy production, and they help to produce bile acids and hormones.

The total iron stock of a 170lbs (75 kg) man is about 4 g, a 120lbs (55 kg) woman about 2.1 g. A little more than two thirds of it is bound to hemoglobin, around a quarter is bound to ferritin, the iron store, and a small remainder is still found in myoglobin, the red muscle pigment.

Iron is stored in the liver, the spleen, the bone marrow and the intestinal mucosa. The amount of iron in the blood plasma is around 3 – 4 mg and is subject to daily fluctuations.

Iron Requirements

The organism’s iron requirement is very low. The body is very economical with its iron reserves. Iron can only be excreted with difficulty through the intestines, urine, bile and sweat. Larger amounts are lost only when bleeding. That is why women need more iron than men up to menopause. Pregnant and breastfeeding women also need more iron, but will have savings by the absence of the period during pregnancy. Growing children have higher requirements. Children need about 8 mg per day, adolescent men 12 mg, female adolescents and women up to menopause 15 mg, after that about 10 mg as do men.

Which Foods are Rich in Iron?

Meat, cereals and leafy vegetables are the main contributors to the iron supply. Iron from meat is more easily absorbed by the body than iron from a plant-based diet. In the plant, iron is mostly present in poorly soluble compounds. But the simultaneous presence of vitamin C remedies this deficiency. Experiments have shown that vitamin C can increase the uptake of iron from the plant up to seven times. This is why vegetarians can still get enough iron. They usually have a higher consumption of vitamin C than meat-eaters. An increased intake of vitamin C has a better effect on iron absorption than additional iron intake, whether through diet or iron supplements.

Good plant sources of iron include lentils, chickpeas, beans, tofu, cashew nuts, chia seeds, ground flaxseed, dark green leafy vegetables, dried apricots and figs, raisins, and quinoa.

Iron Deficiency

A deficiency arises when the intake via the diet is too low, the absorption is disturbed, there is an increased need or there is a loss of iron through bleeding. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. It is caused by an unbalanced diet in poverty, or avoidance of nutritious foods in affluent countries. However, some food ingredients can also hinder iron absorption. Particularly widespread is the iron deficiency in areas where a lot of black tea is consumed, because it contains a high amount of tannin, which hinders the absorption of iron. Parasites in the digestive tract also lead to deficiency symptoms as they cause a higher blood loss.

A deficiency can also be caused by certain diseases such as rheumatism, cancer, hormonal disorders, infections or by drugs such as antibiotics or painkillers.

Symptoms of iron deficiency include fatigue, decline in performance, weather sensitivity, grooves in the nails, cracks in the corners of the mouth, dry skin, shortness of breath, and palpitations on exertion.

The clinical picture is hypochromic, microcytic anemia. Caused by a lack of iron and thus also a lack of hemoglobin, there is a deficiency in red blood cells. In turn, less oxygen can be transported. The whole oxygen-dependent metabolism is impaired.

People who suffer from iron deficiency should first find out the reason. Is it due to insufficient intake or absorption? Chronic blood loss must also be eliminated. This is done by testing for hidden blood in the stool. Self-prescribed use of iron-containing drugs or preparations is not recommended. They should only be taken under medical supervision. If the iron stores are filled, further iron absorption can be dangerous. Iron overload can lead to many negative effects such as joint pain, diabetes, heart problems, hormonal imbalances, impotence, cirrhosis of the liver, and liver cancer. The resulting pathology is called hemochromatosis, or iron storage disease.

Iron Overload

Hemochromatosis is one of the most common genetic disorders in the United States, affecting about 1 million people. It most often affects people of European descent. It is caused by increased iron absorption by the intestines. This leads to deposits in various organs and to considerable damage. The total iron content in the body is increased by up to 80 g. In lab tests this can be proven by a very high transferrin saturation. Without therapy, the disease leads to a significant reduction in quality of life and longevity. In this hereditary disease, the damaged gene is not on a sex chromosome. If the damage is to only one chromosome, the carrier will not become ill. For the offspring to fall ill, both parents must be carriers of the trait. Men get sick much more often than women. The disease does not manifest itself before the age of 20, usually between 40 and 60. In women only after the menopause, as the menstrual period causes iron loss. This brings us to the only sensible treatment: it is bloodletting, with the technical term phlebotomy. Initially, about 500 ml of blood is drawn from the patient once or twice a week. The intervals are reduced later. About 200 mg of iron can be removed with each bloodletting. Unfortunately, the patients are not qualifying as blood donors because their blood does not correspond to the normal values. A low iron diet will not cure the disease. However, it is advisable to avoid foods that are very iron-rich, such as offal, oysters and clams. With timely diagnosis and therapy, quality of life and lifespan are not restricted. If treatment does not take place, about 70% develop diabetes and many develop cirrhosis of the liver.

Summary

To avoid iron deficiency, you should pay attention to the increased consumption of fruits and vegetables containing vitamin C. This allows iron to be better absorbed. Additional iron supplements should only be taken under medical supervision, as the limit to the toxic dose can be exceeded very easily.