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Introduction
Iron deficiency is a prevalent issue. Worldwide, it is the leading nutritional deficiency. And although there is lower prevalence in high-income countries, a significant number of people are still affected.
Iron deficiency may be a result of too little iron coming in (i.e., via diet choices or low absorption), or from excess losses (e.g., commonly from blood losses). Understanding how these can impact iron status is crucial for both accurate diagnosis and treatment.
In relation to dietary iron, the source of iron is a common talking point, as there are two forms of iron that we can consume. Heme iron is found in meat, fish, and poultry, while non-heme iron is found in plant foods. It is known that heme iron is more readily absorbed than non-heme iron. However, there is much more to this story that makes things complicated.
To discuss some of the nuances of iron bioavailability, absorption, and metabolism, leading expert in the area Professor Paul Sharp of King’s College London is on the podcast. Prof. Sharp discusses crucial aspects of dietary iron sources, bioavailability, supplementation, and impacts in the body.
Related resources
- Join the Sigma newsletter for free
- Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium
- Previous episode on Iron: Episode 465 with Dr. Austin Baraki
- Twitter: @SharpProfessor
- KCL Pure: Prof. Sharp’s publications
- BNF webinar: Processing the Nutribabble – Is Natural Always Best?
- Futher reading:
- Kondaiah et al., 2019 – Iron and Zinc Homeostasis and Interactions: Does Enteric Zinc Excretion Cross-Talk with Intestinal Iron Absorption?
- Aslam et al., 2018 – Enhancing mineral bioavailability from cereals: Current strategies and future perspectives
- Christides et al., 2015 – Iron bioavailability from commercially available iron supplements
- Dietary soures of iron and factors affecting absorption
- Heme vs. non-heme iron: Misunderstood concepts
- Inhibitors and enhancers
- Discrepancy between whole diet interventions and the results of single meal studies.
- Impact of clinical disorders and genetics on absorption
- Iron supplements: Forms, dosing, and non-response
- Roles of iron and aspects of metabolism
Guest Information
Click through to your app of choice to listen and subscribe:
He has worked on the mechanisms regulating nutrient absorption and metabolism for over 25 years.
He has expertise in the fundamental mechanisms controlling iron metabolism at the cellular level and how these processes are regulated at nutrigenomic and epigenetic levels.
His current work addresses the impact of biofortification, agronomic practices, and food processing methods on the content and localisation of micronutrients in cereals and vegetables, and the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of vitamins and minerals from plant-based foods.
His work has been funded by awards from UKRI, UK charities and industry and his team are currently partners on several international GCRF collaborations on mineral bioavailability.
Danny Lennon has a master’s degree (MSc.) in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork, and he is the founder of Sigma Nutrition.
Danny is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association, the global regulatory body responsible for the standardisation of best practice in the sports nutrition profession.
Introduction to this Episode
Iron deficiency is a prevalent issue. Worldwide, it is the leading nutritional deficiency. And although there is lower prevalence in high-income countries, a significant number of people are still affected.
Iron deficiency may be a result of too little iron coming in (i.e., via diet choices or low absorption), or from excess losses (e.g., commonly from blood losses). Understanding how these can impact iron status is crucial for both accurate diagnosis and treatment.
In relation to dietary iron, the source of iron is a common talking point, as there are two forms of iron that we can consume. Heme iron is found in meat, fish, and poultry, while non-heme iron is found in plant foods. It is known that heme iron is more readily absorbed than non-heme iron. However, there is much more to this story that makes things complicated.
Some of the nuances of iron bioavailability, absorption, and metabolism, were covered in this episode with leading expert in the area Professor Paul Sharp of Kingʼs College London.
Prof. Sharp discusses crucial aspects of dietary iron sources, bioavailability, supplementation, and impacts in the body.
Connection to Previous Episodes
#465: Diagnosing & Treating Iron Deficiency & Excess – Austin Baraki, MD
- This episode of the podcast was the previous episode in this 3-part series on iron.
- In the episode, Dr. Austin Baraki discussed some of the clinical aspects of iron status, including the impacts of both deficiency and excess.
- The discussion also emphasized how crucial both accurate diagnosis and explanation of the deficiency is.
- Some aspects covered include:
- Iron homeostasis
- Biomarkers and testing
- Consequences of iron deficiency and excess
- Crucial aspects of accurate diagnosis
- Correcting deficiencies
- You can find the episode page here.
