Our bodies need minerals: sodium, chloride, and potassium help maintain the proper balance of fluids in our bodies; calcium and magnesium help build your bones; and iron makes oxygen-carrying red blood cells. But what happens when we’ve got too much of any of these minerals?
Sometimes when we take too much of a vitamin or mineral our bodies just get rid of them. My dad used to call vitamin C tablets, “expensive urine”. You see, an excess of vitamin C usually just makes you pee more. How about the metals our bodies need?
Too much sodium (or salt) leads to a host of problems: obesity, high blood pressure, increased chance of stroke and heart attack, and decreased kidney function. Calcium is good for your bones, but in a few rare cases too much calcium could lead to hypercalcemia – a condition that causes kidney problems, heart problems, osteoporosis, and even confusion or dementia.
Mining Good Health
Calcium helps your nervous system function and an excess of calcium could lead to communication problems in your brain. New studies reveal that an overdose of iron could lead to Alzheimer’s/ dementia as well.
The studies in question have found that people with Alzheimer’s disease have more iron in their brains. Not only that, but iron (or an excess of iron) helps the onset of the disease.
Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia conducted a study to gauge the amount of iron in the brains of 144 older people who had mild cognitive impairment. These folks were followed for 7 years. The researchers measured ferritin, a protein that binds to the metal (iron).
Those participants of the study who had iron in their brains at the start were, on average, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 3 months earlier.
The biggest risk gene for Alzheimer’s has been found.
ApoE4, which is strongly linked with a high-iron diet, is made primarily in the liver, but has also been found in the brain, kidneys, and spleen. Iron is so highly reactive that it subjects neurons to chemical stress, says Scott Ayton.
This chemical stress, over years, could lead to the neurological impairments that increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Pumping (Out The) Iron
So how do you deal with extra iron? How do you keep iron levels down, and if you have high levels of iron in your blood already, how do you treat it? First, let’s deal with the foods that have the most iron.
There are two types of iron in the food we eat: heme and nonheme. Heme iron comes from hemoglobin (a protein molecule in blood) and is mostly food in red meat, fish, and poultry. Most of the iron we absorb is from heme sources. Nonheme iron is from plant sources.
Foods High in Iron
Red meat (beef)
Turkey
Beef or chicken liver
Clams, mollusks, mussels, or oyster
Canned sardines, canned in oil
Chicken
Fish (halibut, haddock, perch, salmon, or tuna)
Ham
Veal
Iron in plant foods such as lentils, beans, and spinach is nonheme iron. This is the form of iron added to iron-enriched and iron-fortified foods. Our bodies are less efficient at absorbing nonheme iron, but most dietary iron is nonheme iron.
Cereals enriched with iron
Beans
Tofu
Pumpkin, sesame, or squash seeds
Canned lima beans, red kidney beans, chickpeas, or split peas
Dried apricots
Baked potato
Stalk of broccoli
Enriched egg noodles
Wheat germ
Nuts (peanuts, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, roasted almonds, roasted cashews)
Sunflower seeds
Seedless raisins, peaches, or prunes
Spinach
Green pepper
Pasta
Bread, pumpernickel bagel, or bran muffin
Rice
Although we still need iron, you can decrease your intake to decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s. Having too little iron in your diet can lead to problems as well, so it is best to balance your iron intake and make sure you’re getting the right amount.
Metal In The Brain
While the research team found that high-iron has a direct connection with Alzheimer’s, the finding itself doesn’t prove that reducing iron levels would cut the risk of the deadly disease. A trial drug that rids the body of some of its iron, however, suggests the hypothesis is worth investigating.
The drug halved the rate of Alzheimer’s cognitive decline but was overlooked when the beta-amyloid theory of the disease became dominant, says Ayton.
“Perhaps it’s time to refocus on looking at iron as a target,” he says.
There are easier ways for the young to ensure they don’t have too much iron – simply by regularly donating blood – but this is unwise for the elderly. Also, since the studies found only a mild correlation between iron in the body and iron in the brain, this theory is still just a hypothesis.
As you age, monitor your iron intake. Before cognitive function starts to decline, talk to your healthcare provider about the correlation between iron and Alzheimer’s, and see if there’s any iron-binding drug, called deferiprone, you can start on which reduces iron in the brain and has been used to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
