Iron, Cancer, and Aging
Most people are conscious of the need for iron because the problem of iron deficiency has been widely publicized in popular media. Less widely appreciated is the fact that, like excess calories that cause obesity, excess iron also causes problems.
Iron accumulates with aging because our daily iron intake is greater than the daily loss and our bodies cannot shed the excess. Excess iron causes problems because the properties that make iron essential for life – its ability to react with oxygen – can also damage cells and vital molecules.
Iron carries oxygen in the blood to tissues so that cells can "breathe". When levels of iron in the body climb higher than needed for this vital function, iron continues to react and forms damaging oxygen-free radicals that cause "oxidative stress" and thereby cause the need for anti-oxidants. Leo Zacharski, MD, Professor of Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School, said "Having researched this field for over 15 years, I am convinced of the importance of investigating further the relationship between iron accumulation and diseases of aging, including cancer." Excessive oxidative stress is implicated in common diseases of aging such as cancer, atherosclerosis and other diseases.
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