IRON

First slide

Utilization

ABSORPTION

Majority of the iron present in the food is in ferric form. Absorption occurs to some extent in the stomach, but the
greatest absorption occurs in the upper duodenum

Several factors that affect the absorption of iron:

(check) Form of iron

(check) Type of iron

(check) Body needs

(check) Bulk in the diet

(check) Size of dose

Second slide

Several factors that affect the absorption of iron:

(check) Presence of phytic and oxalic acids

(check) Presence of citrates, sugar and some amino acids

(check) Presence of tannins

(check) Intake of coffee

(check) Presence of ascorbic acid

(check) Infections and malabsorption syndromes

Third slide

FORM OF IRON.

-Ferrous form is better absorbed than ferric, although both forms may be absorbed.

- hydrochloric acid in the stomach reduces iron to its absorbable form

-in achlorhydria, iron absorption is reduced when there is a decreased secretion of hydrochloric acid.

-also happens in gastric surgery when the number of cells responsible for hydrochloric production is removed.

-organic acids also help in the absorption of iron by reducing it from the ferric to the ferrous form.

4th slide

TYPE OF IRON.
-two main types of dietary iron: heme and non-heme iron.

Heme iron Non-heme iron

- found only in meat, fish, and poultry, and is more - foods like cereals, vegetables, and eggs.

efficiently absorbed in the body.

In the Filipino diet, most of the iron comes from

non-heme sources.

Absorption is also increased by 0.7 to 3% with the addition of vegetables, fruits, and legumes.

5th slide

BODY NEEDS.

- when the unbound transferrin is saturated with iron, absorption of iron is decreased.

- if the level of the unbound transferrin is low indicating that blood has been freed of iron, then the absorption of
iron is increased.

-in iron deficiency, the body tries to increase its iron supply by absorbing more iron.

Individuals at risk are pregnant and lactating women and growing children.

6th slide

BULK IN THE DIET.

-an increased fiber in the diet interferes with the absorption of iron.

-iron in green leafy vegetables is poorly absorbed.

SIZE OF DOSE.

-in the case of supplementation as pills, absorption of iron varies inversely with the size of the dose.

-a high intake of iron at any one time causes less absorption of iron than giving the iron in small divided doses which
results in better utilization of the mineral.

7th Slide

PRESENCE OF PHYTIC AND OXALIC ACIDS.

-absorption is decreased in the presence of phytic acid, (found in cereals and some vegetables) because of the
formation of insoluble complexes with iron.

-in a Filipino diet where rice is predominantly rice-based, absorption has been found to be reduced by 5 to 8%.

PRESENCE OF CITRATES, SUGAR, AND SOME AMINO ACIDS.

-these substances help retain iron in solution causing an increase in iron absorption.

PRESENCE OF TANNINS.

-drinking tea causes a reduction of iron absorbed in the body by about 8 to 16%.
-Scientists believe that the effect is probably due to the formation of an insoluble iron-tannate complex in the gut
that renders a significant proportion of dietary iron unavailable for absorption.

8th slide

INTAKE OF COFFEE.

-whether coffee is drunk an hour after a meal or with the meal, iron absorption is reduced.

-reduction is even greater with stronger coffee.

- Polyphenolic compounds present in the coffee may act in the same manner as the tannin in tea.

PRESENCE OF ASCORBIC ACID

-adding ascorbic acid to a meal facilitates the absorption of iron.

-40-50mg of ascorbic acid added to a meal of bread, egg, and tea or coffee, may increase iron absorption
significantly from 4 to 10%.

INFECTIONS AND MALABSORPTION SYNDROMES.

-iron absorption is significantly decreased with severe infections and malabsorption disorders.

9th slide

METABOLISM

When iron is absorbed and carried by the blood, it is bound with a plasma protein, transferrin, and enters several
pathways. Iron is essential for the synthesis of respiratory enzymes and other important cellular components. In the
blood plasma, iron is obtained from dietary sources or from the breakdown of body iron cells and storage depots.
The bone marrow removes this iron to produce hemoglobin, which is necessary for the formation of red blood cells.

-20mg of iron is needed for the formation of hemoglobin . Excess iron is stored in the liver as ferritin and as
hemosiderin in the bone marrow, and the rest in the spleen muscles. If the iron supply from the diet and from the
breakdown of red blood cells is not enough for the body’s needs, iron will be mobilized from the storage areas, and
will be bound as transferrin in the blood.

10th slide

METABOLISM

Recirculated to the different parts of the body.

Iron lost from the body must be replaced in the diet.

Iron metabolism is a carefully regulated system at the intracellular level.

Deficiency in iron- cells trigger the production of transferrin receptors at the cell membrane to transport the iron in
the cell.

Excess iron- cells trigger the production of ferritin, an iron-storage protein.

EXCRETION

Minute amounts of iron are excreted daily (0.5 to 1.0 mg/day) since most iron is recycled.

Average trace amounts are excreted in the urine, feces, sweat, skin, and in breast milk.
In girls and women, menstrual losses amount to about 2 mg/day.

11th slide pic

ZINC

1st slide

ULTIZATION

2ND slide

ABSORPTION

-mainly in the upper jejunum.

-may come from food or from the enteropancreatic circulation of endogenous zinc.

-transported by a carrier into the mucosal cells, picked up by albumin, and taken to the liver before redistribution to
the other tissues.
EXCRETION

- mainly through feces. Significant amounts are lost from urine, hair loss, and sweating.

3rd slide

Inhibitors

-absorption decreases, with a high concentration of fiber or phytate, higher than physiologic doses of copper, and a
ratio of 2:1 or 3:1 iron to zinc. High concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, copper, cadmium, and casein in cow’s
milk can also hinder zinc absorption.

Enhancers

Factors that favor zinc absorption:

 presence of glucose or lactose

 soy protein
 meat protein
 vitamin c
 glutamate
 citrate
 histidine
 cysteine
 methionine

Can improve absorption.

4th slide
SELENIUM

1ST SLIDE

UTILIZATION

2ND SLIDE

ABSORPTION

-dependent upon the source, form, solubility of the selenium compound, and the dietary ratio of selenium to sulfur.
- much of the selenium ingested is in the form of seleno-amoino acid, like Se-cysteine and Se-methionine, and
inorganic forms like selenite are ingested. Absorption is generally about 80% or more.

EXCRETION

-mainly lost through the urine probably as di- and trimethylselenium compounds. During respiration, dimethyl-
selenide is excreted in breath similar to a garlic odor when large amounts are exhaled.

- forms of cancer associated with selenium are also those influenced by high fat and lower fiber diets, such as in
cases of colon, rectum, prostate, and breast cancer.