Why plant iron is the best
What is Iron and Why Do We Need It?
Iron is a mineral and is an essential component of haemoglobin, found in all red blood cells. It is vital for the health of cells and for the transport of oxygen to all parts of the body.
Sources and Types of Iron
There are two types of iron - haem, primarily from meat sources, and non-haem from plant sources. Most of the iron in all our diets, including meat eaters, comes not from meat but from plant sources (1, 2). Legumes, such as kidney beans, lentils and chickpeas, soya bean curd (tofu), nuts, seeds, wholegrains and dried fruits, such as raisins, prunes, apricots and figs, are all excellent sources of iron. For example, lentils contain 3.5mg iron per 100g, almonds 3mg, sesame seeds 10.4mg and figs 4.2mg. Many breakfast cereals are fortified with iron, providing another regular non-meat source (3). The Government’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) looked at sources of iron in the latest UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey and found that only 17 per cent comes from meat, three per cent from fish and a staggering 80 per cent from vegan foods. Cereals make the single biggest contribution at 44 per cent (1).The UK recommended nutrient intake (RNI) for iron in adult males is 8.7 mg/day and for women up to the age of 50 it is 14.8 mg/day (4). Iron is shed from the body in sloughed-off skin cells, from the interior surfaces of the body such as the airway, urinary tract and intestine. In women, iron is lost during menstruation and as a consequence they have slightly higher requirements. Despite these losses, the body is a very efficient recycler and manages to keep losses to a minimum at just 1- 1.5mg a day (2, 5, 6).
Utilisation and Absorption of Iron by the Body
Both types of iron are different and the body handles each slightly differently. Iron from meat is rapidly absorbed and continues to be absorbed and stored whether the body needs it or not. Plant iron tends to be ‘bound’ to other nutrients in food and needs to be broken down in the body before it can be absorbed. This not only slows down the process of absorption but enables the body to limit its overall intake. As a consequence, stores of non-haem iron are low in comparison to haem iron as the body takes only what it needs, absorption decreasing as iron stores increase .The lower rates of absorption of non-haem iron and the higher body stores of haem iron are often presented by the meat industry and some health professionals as a disadvantage. This is not the case as iron from plants has some distinct advantages over iron from meat. High stores of haem iron are a known risk factor for heart disease and diabetes . Absorption of plant iron can be greatly improved simply by including vitamin C with the same meal, such as fresh orange juice (2, 7, 8). Absorption of non-haem iron can be quadrupled if 75mg of vitamin C, about 200ml of fresh orange juice, is consumed with it . However, absorption can also be slowed down by tannins in tea and coffee, phytates in bran and other wholegrains, oxalic acid in spinach, chard, berries, chocolate and tea and so these are best avoided when eating iron-rich foods Dairy and calcium can have a similar negative effect.
Measuring Iron and Iron Status
Haemoglobin found in red blood cells holds most of the body’s iron. Haem iron from meat (and to a lesser degree non-haem iron) is bound to haemoglobin and stored in proteins known as ferritins As veggies consume only non-haem iron, their iron stores naturally tend to be lower than meat eaters but this isn’t necessarily an indication of anaemia. There are different ways of measuring the body’s iron and determining whether a person has iron deficiency disorders such as anaemia and more severe conditions such as chronic inflammation, infection or malignant diseases . The most common measures both haemoglobin and serum ferritin .Ferritin levels determine whether an individual is getting too much, too little or just the right amount of iron. Haemoglobin levels can indicate whether iron deficiency anaemia is present as a low ferritin count is a key feature of it .
Iron Deficiencies
When iron levels are too low, a number of symptoms can occur, including fatigue, pale skin, a weakened immune system and a reduced ability to concentrate. This is iron-deficiency anaemia and for children it can result in poor performance at school. .Iron deficiency is one of the biggest nutritional deficiencies in the world, although only slightly less common in industrialised countries than in the third world. It affects meat eaters and vegetarians alike in similar proportions. Although veggies tend to have lower iron stores (serum ferritin) than meat eaters there is no difference in their rates of iron deficiency anaemia ). Two of the world’s most prestigious health organisations - the American Dietetic Association and the British Medical Association - support this view. The American Dietetic Association state: “Incidence of iron deficiency anaemia among vegetarians and vegans are similar to non-vegetarians therefore vegans and vegetarians are not at greater risk from this condition. Vegetarians and vegans have lower iron stores compared to non-vegetarians however their serum ferritin levels are usually read more
