School of Biological and Applied Sciences

Course Code :11000101T

IRON
KAUSHIKI JHA
21SBBS1040034
Bsc Medical Biotechnology
1st Semester [ CAT 3 ]

 SUBJECT-                                                                  
FOOD,NUTRITION AND HYGIENE FACULTY NAME- 
 Content
 INTRODUCTION

 FUNCTION

 SOURCES

 TYPES OF IRON

 REQUIREMENT

 RECOMMENDED DIETARY IRON INTAKE

 CAUSES

 SYMPTOMS

 SUPPLEMENTS

 SIDE EFFECTS
 INTRODUCTION

 Iron is an important mineral that helps maintain healthy blood.

 Iron is important in making red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body.
 The total body iron content of normal adults is 4.3 and 2.3gms in men and women
respectively.
 About 70 percent of your body's iron is found in the red blood cells of your blood
called hemoglobin and in muscle cells called myoglobin.
 About 6 percent of body iron is a component of certain proteins, essential for
respiration and energy metabolism, and as a component of enzymes involved in the
synthesis of collagen.
 Iron is important for healthy brain development and growth in children, and for the
normal production and function of various cells and hormones.
 Iron is primarily stored in the liver, spleen and bone marrow in the form of ferritin
and is delivered throughout the body by transferrin (a protein in blood that binds to
iron).
 Why do we need IRON ?
FUNCTION OF IRON :
 Improve energy levels: Iron is responsible for carrying oxygen to your muscles and brain. If you do not
consume enough iron in your diet, the energy-using efficiency of your body will be affected.
 Enhanced athletic performance: Proper iron intake is particularly important for individuals
who lead an active lifestyle, as it boosts athletic performance.
 Healthy pregnancy: During pregnancy, your blood volume and red blood cells production increase to make
sure that the fetus gets all the necessary nutrients. Thus, the need for iron also increases. Adequate iron
intake lowers the risk of premature birth, low birth weight, low iron stores in infants.
 Boosts the immune system: Iron plays a major role in strengthening your immune system.
It is capable of preventing and treating various health conditions.
 Improve cognitive function: Your brain demands iron for functioning properly, as it requires oxygenated
blood for improved cognitive functions. Iron promotes the blood flow in the brain, helps it create new
neural pathways to prevent cognitive complications, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
 Sources of Iron :
 Liver, yolk, red meat and fish.
 Green leafy vegetables like spinach.
 Fortified grains, legumes , Beans, such as red kidney beans,
edamame beans and chickpeas.
 Dried fruit – such as dried apricots , almonds ,cashews, pine
nuts and raisins.
 Soyabean , tofu ,mushrooms ,pumpkin, sesame ,hemp
flaxseeds.
 Iron utensils also increase iron content in food.
 In the U.S many breads, cereals, and infant formulas are
fortified with iron.
 TYPES OF IRON
There are two types of iron in food :
1. Heme iron(derived from hemoglobin and myoglobin found in meat tissue).
2. Non-Heme iron(derived from cereals legumes fruit and vegetables).

Heme iron:
   Heme iron is found only in animal foods like Beef or chicken liver ,red meat
fish and poultry.
 Plants food do not contain any heme iron.
 Heme iron is well absorbed and relatively unaffected by other factors.The
average absorption of heme iron in meat is about 25%.
Non-heme iron:
 Non-heme iron is found in plant foods like Fortified breakfast
cereals,Lentils
spinach , Potato with skin , Nuts, Enriched rice or bread
 Absorption of non-heme iron can vary from under 1%in an individual with
replete stores to 20% in an individual with depleted iron stores.
 Generally non-heme iron absorption is less than 5%
 HOW MUCH IRON DO WE NEED?
REQUIREMENTS OF IRON AT A GLANCE:

The amount of iron you need is:

 8.7mg a day for men over 18 YEARS.
  14.8mg a day for women aged 19 to 50.
 8.7mg a day for women over 50.

 The average adult male has about 1,000 mg of stored iron (enough for about  three years), whereas women on
average have only about 300 mg (enough  for about six months).
 Women who lose a lot of blood during their monthly period (heavy periods) are at higher risk of iron
deficiency anemia and may need to take iron supplements.
RDA (RECOMMENDED DIETARY ALLOWANCE): Average Daily Level Of Intake Sufficient To Meet The Nutrient
requirement of nearlly all (97%-98%) healthy individual often used to plan nutritionally adequate diets for individuals

RECOMMENDED DIETARY IRON INTAKE:

Age Male Female Pregnancy Lactation
Birth to 6 months 0.27 mg* 0.27 mg*

7–12 months 11 mg 11 mg

1–3 years 7 mg 7 mg

4–8 years 10 mg 10 mg

9–13 years 8 mg 8 mg

14–18 years 11 mg 15 mg 27 mg 10 mg

19–50 years 8 mg 18 mg 27 mg 9 mg

51+ years 8 mg 8 mg
 CAUSES OF IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA:
 ONE of the most prevalent nutritional deficiency disorder.
 70% of Indians and 80% of pregnant women suffer from it .
Anemia: Anemia is a condition in which you lack enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your
body's tissues. Having anemia, also referred to as low hemoglobin, can make you feel tired and weak.
 iron deficiency anemia occurs when your body doesn't have enough iron to produce hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is
the part of red blood cells that gives blood its red color and enables the red blood cells to carry oxygenated blood
throughout your body.
• Blood loss- Blood contains iron within red blood cells. So if you lose blood, you lose some iron. Women with
heavy periods are at risk of iron deficiency anemia because they lose blood during menstruation.
• A lack of iron in your diet- Your body regularly gets iron from the foods you eat. If you consume too little iron,
over time your body can become iron deficient. Examples of iron-rich foods include meat, eggs, leafy green
vegetables and iron-fortified foods.
• An inability to absorb iron-Iron from food is absorbed into your bloodstream in your small intestine.
• Pregnancy- Without iron supplementation, iron deficiency anemia occurs in many pregnant women because their
iron stores need to serve their own increased blood volume as well as be a source of hemoglobin for the growing
fetus.
 Symptoms of iron deficiency:

Symptoms of anemia in children:

 Dry and damaged hair and skin
 Weakness
 Paleness in skin
 Brittle or spoon shaped finger nail
 Restless legs
 Light headache
Symptoms of anemia in older adults:
• shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• fluid retention
• Fatigue
 Iron supplements
 Iron supplements are most often used to treat certain types of anemia and can help reverse low iron levels, they can produce
results quicker than diet interventions and are often considered the best treatment method of choice
 . Adults shouldn't take more than 45 mg of iron a day unless they are being treated with iron under close
medical supervision. For children, iron overdose can be especially toxic.
Best Iron Supplements Of 2022, According To Experts :
• Pure Encapsulations Iron-C.
• Vitron -C High Potency Iron Supplement.
• Nature Made Iron 65 mg Tablets 
• Amazon elements iron
 iron supplements for Anemia:
• Slow Fe 45mg Iron Supplement
• AYURVEDIC iron &folic acid
 It’s important to note that taking iron supplements unnecessary could harm your health, partially because they typically contain
high doses of iron, which can cause digestive issues and reduce the absorption of other nutrients in your gut ,damages the cell and
in severe cases, result in organ failure, coma, or death.
What if take too much IRON ?
Side effects of taking high doses (over 20mg) of iron include
 Nausea
 Vomitting
 Constipation
 feeling sick
 stomach pain
Very high doses of iron can be fatal, particularly if taken by children, so always keep iron
supplements out of the reach of children.
 K,K

What does the Department of Health and

Social Care advise?

Most people should be able to get all the iron they need by eating a
varied and balanced diet. If you take iron supplements, do not take too
much as this could be harmful.
Taking 17mg or less a day of iron supplements is unlikely to cause any
harm. But continue taking a higher dose if advised to by a Doctor.
REFERENCES :
https://WWW.Slideshare.net
http://ods.od.nih.gov
http://irondisorders.org
http://WWW.ncbi.nih.gov