Review on iron and its importance for human health.

TLDR

Iron is essential for many metabolic processes but must be tightly regulated, as its deficiency or excess causes common disorders ranging from anemia to neurodegeneration. The review aims to synthesize recent advances in iron metabolism and bioavailability, clarify human iron requirements, and outline prevention strategies for iron deficiency. The authors review recent studies on iron metabolism and bioavailability to elucidate human iron requirements and the causes and consequences of deficiency.

Abstract

It is well-known that deficiency or over exposure to various elements has noticeable effects on human health. The effect of an element is determined by several characteristics, including absorption, metabolism, and degree of interaction with physiological processes. Iron is an essential element for almost all living organisms as it participates in a wide variety of metabolic processes, including oxygen transport, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis, and electron transport. However, as iron can form free radicals, its concentration in body tissues must be tightly regulated because in excessive amounts, it can lead to tissue damage. Disorders of iron metabolism are among the most common diseases of humans and encompass a broad spectrum of diseases with diverse clinical manifestations, ranging from anemia to iron overload, and possibly to neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we discuss the latest progress in studies of iron metabolism and bioavailability, and our current understanding of human iron requirement and consequences and causes of iron deficiency. Finally, we discuss strategies for prevention of iron deficiency.