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no not this kind of iron
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i mean this kind of iron it's one of the
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most important minerals for the body but
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do you really know how it's working to
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keep everything inside you running i'm
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kitty braun product developer at
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myprotein keep watching to find out more
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iron is in all of our cells but it's
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mostly foreign in our red blood cells
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these are responsible for carrying
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oxygen from our lungs to other organs in
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the body your iron status affects the
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activity of the heart liver and muscles
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plus the actions of nerve impulses so
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you could say it's pretty important iron
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is an essential component of hemoglobin
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an erythrocyte or red blood cell protein
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that transfers oxygen from the lungs to
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the tissues as a component of myoglobin
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another protein that provides oxygen
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iron supports muscle metabolism and
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healthy connective tissue there's a
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range of different foods that you can
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get iron from ranging from dark green
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leafy vegetables like spinach keel and
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broccoli to nuts whole grains and
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probably the most obvious source red
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meat but what you might not know is that
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the type of iron found in these foods
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can vary dietary iron has two main forms
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heme and non-heme remember i mentioned
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the hemoglobin earlier heme is an
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iron-containing compound which forms the
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non-protein part of hemoglobin plants
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and iron fortified foods contain
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non-heme iron only this form must be
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solubilized and hydrolyzed before
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absorption is possible hydrochloric acid
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in the stomach performs this function
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but the reaction can also be helped
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along by ascorbic acid more commonly
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known to uni as vitamin c watch our
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video on vitamin c here do you need more
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iron with anemia affecting an estimated
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25 of the world's population this
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mineral is something we should all be
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clued up on too little of this mineral
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can affect the number of red blood cells
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in our body limiting the amount of
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oxygen flowing to organs and tissues
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iron deficiency progresses from
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depletion of iron stores the mild iron
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deficiency to iron deficiency anemia the
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symptoms vary an increase in severity
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but you might recognize some of them
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like peel skin fatigue dizziness and
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weakness humans typically lose only
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small amounts of iron when we go to the
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toilet or through the gastrointestinal
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tract and skin but usually these are
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only tiny amounts that the body can cope
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with however there are certain groups
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that are at greater risk of deficiency
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women who bleed monthly through
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menstruation particularly if it's
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abnormally heavy plus pregnant women due
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to the drastic increase on red blood
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cell production in order to sustain the
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growing baby's needs this increases
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pregnant women's requirements for iron
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and if this isn't met the risk of
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deficiency increases people who have
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gastrointestinal disorders such as
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celiac disease or crohn's and colitis as
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they may be following a restricted diet
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or experience malabsorption of iron or
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iron blood loss in the gastrointestinal
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tract may be at risk of iron deficiency
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the combination of low iron intake and
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high iron loss can lead to negative iron
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balance it can be tough to get the iron
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you need per day through diet alone
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particularly if you're following a
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flexitarian diet and not eating some of
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the richest sources like red meat and
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that's where it could be handy to think
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about taking a daily supplement
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supplements often contain the fairest
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variety of iron rather than the ferric
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variant since it has a high solubility
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and is therefore more bioavailable
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simply it's easier for your body to use
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a combination supplement might be
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particularly helpful look out for one
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which contains vitamin b12 and vitamin a
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which can aid iron metabolism copper
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which supports transport of iron around
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the body or vitamin c which improves
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iron absorption you might even have
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heard the advice to take your iron
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supplement with a glass of orange juice
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exactly for this reason so can we take
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too much iron simply put yes our body
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can store surplus iron so one to watch
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out for if your consumption from both
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diet and a supplement combines to exceed
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the recommended dose symptoms like
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constipation nausea or stomach pain can
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be telltale signs that your iron levels
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are far too high so always exercise
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caution when starting supplements and
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remember to consult your doctor if
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you've got any specific health concerns
4:06
so that's it i hope i've ironed it out
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if you have any more questions leave
4:12
them in the comments below and i'll get
4:13
back to you and if you're new here or
4:15
haven't done it yet remember to like
4:17
this video and subscribe to the
4:18
myprotein youtube channel for more great
4:20
evidence-based nutrition information
