A study has found that increased levels of iron are linked to a greater risk for type 2 diabetes in healthy women independent of common diabetes risk factors, such as obesity.
The results of these findings have become a helpful indicator of those women who should avoid taking iron supplements. The findings also revealed that people with hemochromatosis, a disease in which the body takes in too much iron with food, are more likely to develop diabetes.
Researchers said that high iron levels can cause damage to cells and begin to interfere with organ functions, particularly the body's ability to produce insulin, an important hormone that is responsible for converting sugar to energy.
The study tracked the blood levels of ferritin, a protein that shows the iron level in the body, and found that the average levels were 109 in the women who developed diabetes compared to the 71.5 in the other women. The normal ferritin level range for women is between 12 to 150 nanograms per milliliter.
Journal of the American Medical Association February 11, 2004;291(6):711-7
I was a bit late in reporting on this one as I was out of the country for a while, however this study brings up an important--and often unrecognized--issue. Iron is a catalyst in the formation of hydroxyl free radicals. These are the most dangerous and potent free radicals in the body as they attack cell membranes, fats, proteins and DNA. Iron is really the anti-antioxidant--it does the exact opposite of an antioxidant.
Measuring your iron levels is a very effective way of maintaining your health. The best way to do this is through a measure of serum ferritin level in conjunction with total iron binding level. If your levels are too high – above 100 – it is very important that you donate your blood. The higher your level the more frequently you should donate your blood. If it is from 100 - 150, once every six months should work fine.
If it is more than 300, you will want to donate at least every two months and possibly more frequently if you can tolerate it. Donating your blood is an amazingly effective and inexpensive solution for this problem. If for some reason the blood donor center is unable to accept your blood for donation you can obtain a prescription for therapeutic phlebotomy.
This is an important issue for me as my dad was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago due to elevated iron levels. It has been very difficult to control the diabetes despite his great dietary and exercise compliance.
This is something you want to pay attention to as nearly all adult men and most postmenopausal women have excess iron levels. I wrote an article on how to diagnose iron overload in December and would encourage you to read it for more information. Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to lower your risk. The most important one is to donate your blood regularly, which not only helps you but others as well.