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Iron Toxicity

Beware of consuming non-heme iron, found in many plant foods. It has a low bioavailability, so most of it (from upward of 60%) gets stored in organs and tissue as "labile iron" acting as a catalyst for oxidative damage to your cells. This is what iron toxicity means.

Like pretty much everyone today, you probably have accumulated lots of such iron over the years, especially if you are a male or a postmenopausal woman (if you are a young woman, the monthly blood loss via menstruation helps remove free labile iron, although iron toxicity is still a risk).

So what can you do?

Focus on getting more magnesium (which you need to supplement) and retinol (preformed vitamin A) and bioavailable copper, found mainly in animal fats and foods. Liver is a great source of retinol and bioavailabel copper. These work to remove excess iron from your body. Also see the nutrition page.

For more info, check out the following links.

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