Gentlemen, heads up!
Basic Facts about Iron and Health
Fact # 1: After full growth to adulthood is reached, males will have accumulated 1 milligram of excess iron per day, most of which is stored in the liver & attached to hemoglobin in red blood cells.
Fact # 2: By middle age a male has twice as much iron stored in his body than an equally aged female who menstruates to control iron. The result is that a male at age 40 has double the risk for diabetes, cancer and heart disease as female of the same age. Symptoms of iron overload usually appear after age 40 in males and later in females as menstruation ceases.
Fact # 3: The prevalence of adults with high iron storage levels (high ferritin, above 90 nanograms/milliliter of blood) is nearly 11%. [Journal Academy Nutrition Dietetics 2018].
Fact # 4: Knowledge is Strength: Check your ferritin blood level to determine your iron load. Why? The iron-overloaded part of the population will age faster than those with ferritin in the normal healthy range (20-90 nanograms/milliliter).
Fact # 5: Treatment is easy and noble. Up to 150 years ago, one of the most accepted therapies for maladies of all kinds, including deadly tumors, was bloodletting. Now we call it blood donation (when it is voluntary) and phlebotomy or venesection (when you are a patient). This practice of blood-letting (venesection or phlebotomy) to reduce iron load in iron-overloaded subjects normalizes their otherwise shortened life expectancy. [Annals New York Academy Sciences 1988].
FOR MEN ONLY: A VERY SMART IDEA is to decrease INFLAMMATION: Donate a pint (- 450 ml) of your blood every 6 - 8 weeks or so. Why? Because excessive IRON in our blood over our entire lifetime causes inflammation with the blood leading to chronic insidious disease. Women, who naturally lose a little blood every month of their lives, have much less of these diseases. So, to better avoid & survive chronic diseases, DONATE a pint (- 450 ml) of your blood every 8 weeks.
Phlebotomy (blood donating) has been successfully used to treat heart attacks, cancer, liver disease, diabetes, lung-brain-eye-kidney-artery and brain disease as well as seemingly unconquerable infectious diseases like AIDS and hepatitis (even antibiotic resistance). Here is the vast research & all the evidence that support this very smart win-win idea.
Heart attacks
[American Journal Epidemiology Sept. 1998; Donation of blood is associated with reduced risk of myocardial infarction. The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Because high body iron stores have been suggested as a risk factor for acute myocardial infarction, donation of blood could theoretically reduce the risk by lowering body iron stores. For this reason, the authors tested the hypothesis that voluntary blood donation is associated with reduced risk of acute myocardial infarction in a prospective epidemiologic follow-up study in men from eastern Finland. The subjects are all participants of the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. A cohort of 2,862 men aged 42-60 years were followed for an average of almost 9 years. One man (0.7%) out of 153 men who had donated blood in 24 months preceding the baseline examination experienced an acute myocardial infarction during 1984 to 1995, whereas 316 men (12.5%) of 2,529 non-blood donors had an acute myocardial infarction (p < 0.0001 for difference between proportions). In a Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for age, examination years and all other predictive coronary disease risk factors, blood donors had a 88% reduced risk (relative hazard = 0.12, 95% confidence interval 0.02-0.86, p = 0.035) of acute myocardial infarction, compared with non-blood donors. These findings suggest that frequent blood loss through voluntary blood donations may be associated with a reduced risk of acute myocardial infarction in middle-aged men.
American Heart Journal Nov. 2011], Effect of controlled reduction of body iron stores on clinical outcomes in peripheral arterial disease. Lower iron burden predicted improved outcomes overall and was enhanced by phlebotomy. Controlling iron burden may improve survival and prevent or delay nonfatal myocardial infarction and stroke.
[Journal Pharmacy Pharmacology Aug 2011] Iron as a target of chemoprevention for longevity in humans. Iron is universally abundant and no life can exist without it. However, iron levels should be maintained within a narrow range. Iron deficiency causes anaemia, whereas excessive iron increases cancer risk, presumably by free radical generation. Several pathological conditions such as genetic haemochromatosis, chronic viral hepatitis B and C, conditions related to asbestos fibre exposure and ovarian endometriosis have been recognized as iron overload-associated conditions that also increase human cancer risks. Iron's carcinogenicity has been documented in animal experiments. Surprisingly, these studies have revealed that the homozygous deletion of CDKN2A/2B is a major hallmark of iron-induced carcinogenesis. Recently, the hormonal regulation of iron metabolism has been elucidated. A commonly hypothesized mechanism may be the lack of any iron disposal pathway other than for bleeding and a mechanism of iron re-uptake as catechol chelate has been discovered. Iron overload in neurons via the ferroportin block may play a role in Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, a recent epidemiological study reported that iron reduction by phlebotomy was associated with decreased cancer risks in a general population. Given that the required amounts of iron decrease during ageing, the fine control of body iron stores would be a wise strategy for chemoprevention of several diseases.
Atherosclerosis (blood vessel disease)
[J Vascular Surgery June 2010; Ferritin levels, inflammatory biomarkers, and mortality in peripheral arterial disease: a substudy of the Iron (Fe) and Atherosclerosis Study (FeAST) Trial. These data demonstrate statistical correlations between levels of ferritin, inflammatory biomarkers, and mortality in this subset of patients with PAD.
Vascular March 2013; Reduction of iron stores and clinical outcomes in peripheral arterial disease: outcome comparisons in smokers and non-smokers. A prospective randomized trial suggested that iron (ferritin) reduction improved outcomes in smokers. The present study reanalyzed the trial results in smokers compared with non-smokers. Randomization of 1262 men with peripheral arterial disease (540 smokers and 722 non-smokers) to iron reduction (phlebotomy) or control groups permitted analysis of the effects of iron reduction and smoking on primary (all-cause mortality) and secondary (death plus non-fatal myocardial infarction or stroke) endpoints. Iron reduction resulted in significant improvement in the primary (hazard ratio [HR] 0.661, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45, 0.97; P = 0.036) and secondary (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.46, 0.88; P = 0.006) endpoints compared with controls in smokers but not in non-smokers. Smokers required removal of a greater volume of blood to attain targeted ferritin reduction as compared with non-smokers (P = 0.003) and also exhibited differing characteristics from non-smokers, including significantly less statin use. Phlebotomy-related outcomes favored smokers over non-smokers. Biological linkages responsible for this unique effect offer promising lines for future iron reduction studies
Journal Vascular Nursing Dec. 2000; Role of stored iron in atherosclerosis. Myocardial infarction remains the No. 1 killer of American men and women, with a death rate of 225,000 per year, and stroke, the third leading cause of death in the United States, afflicts about 600,000 per year. The combined financial burden of these diseases is approximately $134 billion per year. Therefore, interventions that reduce mortality and suffering will have a significant impact on the health care system. This article summarizes research conducted during the last 2 decades that addresses the idea that stored iron plays a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and that iron reduction through phlebotomy may play a role in the treatment or prevention of atherosclerosis. Body iron stores rise after adolescence in men and menopause in women. This rise has been linked to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis through iron-induced oxidation of low-density lipids and foam cell formation. However, the available evidence on the iron hypothesis remains circumstantial. Reduction of body iron stores in the setting of a controlled, prospective intervention trial is necessary to determine whether the amount of stored iron is related to clinically meaningful vascular disease. Such a study is feasible because reduction in iron stores can be achieved safely and predictably without induction of iron deficiency by graded phlebotomy.
American Heart Journal Nov 2011] Effect of controlled reduction of body iron stores on clinical outcomes in peripheral arterial disease. Lower iron burden predicted improved outcomes overall and was enhanced by phlebotomy. Controlling iron burden may improve survival and prevent or delay nonfatal myocardial infarction and stroke.
Cancer Process
[Cancer Science Jan 2009; Role of iron in carcinogenesis: cancer as a ferrotoxic disease. Iron is abundant universally. During the evolutionary processes, humans have selected iron as a carrier of oxygen inside the body. However, iron works as a double-edged sword, and its excess is a risk for cancer, presumably via generation of reactive oxygen species. Thus far, pathological conditions such as hemochromatosis, chronic viral hepatitis B and C, exposure to asbestos fibers, as well as endometriosis have been recognized as iron overload-associated risks for human cancer. Indeed, iron is carcinogenic in animal experiments. These reports unexpectedly revealed that there are target genes in iron-induced carcinogenesis and that iron-catalyzed oxidative DNA damage is not random in vivo. Several iron transporters and hepcidin, a peptide hormone regulating iron metabolism, were discovered in the past decade. Furthermore, a recent epidemiological study reported that iron reduction by phlebotomy decreased cancer risk in the apparently normal population. These results warrant reconsideration of the role of iron in carcinogenesis and suggest that fine control of body iron stores would be a wise strategy for cancer prevention.
Clinical Translational Oncology Feb. 2011; The role of iron in tumour cell proliferation. Iron has a pivotal role in homeostasis due to its participation in virtually all of the body's oxidation-reduction processes. However, iron can also be considered a double-edged weapon, as its excess may lead to an increased risk of developing cancer, presumably by the generation of reactive oxygen species, and its role as substrate to enzymes that participate in cell proliferation. Thus, iron might as well be considered a cofactor in tumour cell proliferation. In certain pathological conditions, such as haemochromatosis, hepatitis B and C virus infection, asbestosis and endometriosis, iron overload may increase the risk of cancer. By contrast, iron depletion could be considered a useful adjunct in antitumour therapy. This paper reviews the current scientific evidence behind iron's role as a protumoral agent, and the potential benefit of a state of iron depletion in patients with cancer.
British Journal Surgery April 1988; Consequences of blood loss on growth of artificial metastases. Previous studies have shown that lung metastases from a nonimmunogenic sarcoma (LS175) in BN (homozygous for RTln) rats were stimulated by blood transfusions. Enhanced growth was also observed after abdominal surgery combined with allogeneic blood transfusions while syngeneic blood transfusions had no effect. These experimental findings have been confirmed in retrospective clinical studies. The allogeneic blood transfusion effect may be avoided in cancer patients by autologous blood transfusions although this implies blood donation before surgery. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of blood loss before surgery on formation ('take') of lung colonies, and on the outgrowth of established metastases in the BN rat model. These aspects of tumour behaviour were also investigated in rats undergoing surgery, or receiving blood transfusion, or both, after blood loss. The results indicate that blood loss has a profound stimulating effect on the growth of established metastases, but not on the 'take' of tumour cells. This stimulating effect was also present when blood loss was combined with surgery, while previously surgery alone was found to have no effect. Allogeneic and syngeneic transfusions in combination with blood loss both had a strong stimulating effect on growth of established lung metastases. The results indicate that blood loss may be an important factor in determining the outcome of metastatic growth.
Canadian Urological Assn. Journal June 2011] Bloodletting and the management of localized prostate cancer.
Excess iron has been implicated in cancer risk through increased iron-catalyzed free radical-mediated oxidative stress. Reduction of iron load via blood letting reduces cancer mortality by 35%. [Journal National Cancer Institute 2008]
Diabetes Mellitus
[Biochimica et Biophysica Acta July 2009; The role of iron in type 2 diabetes in humans. The role of micronutrients in the etiology of type 2 diabetes is not well established. Several lines of evidence suggest that iron play may a role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Iron is a strong pro-oxidant and high body iron levels are associated with increased level of oxidative stress that may elevate the risk of type 2 diabetes. Several epidemiological studies have reported a positive association between high body iron stores, as measured by circulating ferritin level, and the risk of type 2 diabetes and of other insulin resistant states such as the metabolic syndrome, gestational diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome. In addition, increased dietary intake of iron, especially that of heme iron, is associated with risk of type 2 diabetes in apparently healthy populations. Results from studies that have evaluated the association between genetic mutations related to iron metabolism have been inconsistent. Further, several clinical trials have suggested that phlebotomy induced reduction in body iron levels may improve insulin sensitivity in humans. However, no interventional studies have yet directly evaluated the effect of reducing iron intake or body iron levels on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Such studies are required to prove the causal relationship between moderate iron overload and diabetes risk.
American Journal Gastroenterology June 2007; Iron depletion by phlebotomy improves insulin resistance in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hyperferritinemia: evidence from a case-control study. CONCLUSIONS: Given that phlebotomy reduces insulin resistance, which is associated with liver tissue damage, future studies should evaluate the effect of iron depletion on liver histology and cardiovascular end points.
Diabetes Care Dec. 1998; Effect of phlebotomy on plasma glucose and insulin concentrations.
Gastroenterology April 2002; Effect of iron depletion in carbohydrate-intolerant patients with clinical evidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.These results reflect the insulin-sparing effect of iron depletion and indicate a key role of iron and hyperinsulinemia in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.
Diabetes Care Jan 2008; Bloodletting ameliorates insulin sensitivity and secretion in parallel to reducing liver iron in carriers of HFE gene mutations. Iron depletion ameliorates insulin secretion and sensitivity in NGT and diabetic carriers of HFE gene mutations. This amelioration occurs in parallel with decreased LIC and improved NAS. These results justify glucose tolerance testing and prophylactic iron depletion in asymptomatic carriers as well.
Metabolism Dec. 2010; Glucose metabolism after normalization of markers of iron overload by venesection in subjects with hereditary hemochromatosis. Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is associated with abnormal glucose metabolism (AGM). Normalization of ferritin and transferrin saturation by venesection in subjects with HH and AGM led to improvements in some, but not all, measures of insulin secretion and action. Most patients with AGM had an improvement in glucose tolerance status, probably due to the augmented action of insulin in peripheral tissues.
Diabetes Care Dec 2002] Blood letting in high-ferritin type 2 diabetes: effects on vascular reactivity. CONCLUSIONS: Iron depletion improves vascular dysfunction in type 2 diabetic patients with high ferritin concentrations. The mechanisms by which these changes occur should be further investigated.
Asthma & Lung disease
[Journal Chinese Integrative Medicine July 2004] Treatment of cough and asthma with blood-letting puncturing and cupping: a report of 3 cases].[Article in Chinese]
[Lung India Jan. 2010] Monitored, acute phlebotomy is safe and cost-effective. It decreases blood volume and viscosity, increases cardiac output and improves exercise tolerance in patients.
AIDS/HIV
[Antiviral Therapy Aug. 2013] It is recognized that iron overload is associated with excess mortality in HIV/AIDS, and that this may be due to iron acting as an HIV-1 transcriptional activator. Further research should be undertaken to explore the relationship between HIV viral load and serum iron markers in hereditary haemochromatosis, with a view to evaluating the therapeutic benefit of venesection on HIV viral load in this setting.
Liver disease
[Journal Hepatology Oct. 2011; The dysmetabolic iron overload syndrome (DIOS) is now a frequent finding in the general population, as is detected in about one third of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the metabolic syndrome. Iron in fatty liver and in the metabolic syndrome: a promising therapeutic target. Indeed, iron depletion, most frequently achieved by phlebotomy, has been shown to decrease metabolic alterations and liver enzymes in controlled studies in NAFLD.
Decreased libido & Impotence
[Annals Internal Medicine Nov. 1984] Hypogonadism in hemochromatosis: reversal with iron depletion. Our findings indicate that in some men with hereditary hemochromatosis and hypogonadism of either testicular or central origin, sexual function and sex hormone concentrations can be restored to normal after iron depletion therapy.
[Alcohol Alcoholism 1987] The antidote is blood donation, or alternatively blood letting (sometimes called venesection or phlebotomy). A unit of blood contains ~250 milligrams of iron. For iron overloaded males, a call to the Red Cross to find out where the next blood drive is taking place and three or four blood donations later one’s sex life may reappear. In one study, among 20 male blood donors tested, 8 had low testosterone.
In a search of published medical literature, iron depletion via blood donation or blood-letting has been reported to facilitate resumption of normal sexual activity since 1979. [Nouvelle Presse Medicale 1979] Though it is obvious that blood letting was largely practiced through the centuries and reduction of iron stores via blood-letting must have invigorated impotent males despondent over their condition long before such cases were reported in medical journals
Gouty arthritis
[Journal Traditional Chinese Medicine March 2010] The 34 cases of acute gouty arthritis were treated by blood-letting cupping plus herbal medicine.21 cases were cured and 13 cases improved. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic effect of this therapy was satisfactory for gouty arthritis
Alzheimer’s disease
[Medical Hypotheses May 2009] Getting the iron out: phlebotomy for Alzheimer's disease? This communication explores the temporal link between the age-associated increase in body iron stores and the age-related incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most prevalent cause of senile dementia. Body iron stores that increase with age could be pivotal to AD pathogenesis and progression. Increased stored iron is associated with common medical conditions such as diabetes and vascular disease that increase risk for development of AD. Increased stored iron could also promote oxidative stress/free radical damage in vulnerable neurons, a critical early change in AD.
Delirium, mania
[British Journal Psychiatry June 1993] The case is described of a 65-year-old woman who initially presented with delirium caused by polycythaemia rubra vera. Following venesection she was discharged home recovered, but presented again shortly after with an episode of mania associated with relapse of her polycythaemia.
56 Facts about Blood
More than 4.5 million patients need blood transfusions each year in the U.S. and Canada.
43,000 pints: amount of donated blood used each day in the U.S. and Canada.
Someone needs blood every two seconds.
Only 37 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood – less than 10 percent do annually**.
About 1 in 7 people entering a hospital need blood.
One pint of blood can save up to three lives.
Healthy adults who are at least 17 years old, and at least 110 pounds may donate about a pint of blood—the most common form of donation—every 56 days, or every two months. Females receive 53 percent of blood transfusions; males receive 47 percent.
94 percent of blood donors are registered voters.
Four main red blood cell types: A, B, AB and O. Each can be positive or negative for the Rh factor. AB is the universal recipient; O negative is the universal donor of red blood cells.
Dr. Karl Landsteiner first identified the major human blood groups – A, B, AB and O – in 1901.
One unit of blood can be separated into several components: red blood cells, plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate.
Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues.
Red blood cells live about 120 days in the circulatory system.
Platelets promote blood clotting and give those with leukemia and other cancers a chance to live.
Plasma is a pale yellow mixture of water, proteins and salts.
Plasma, which is 90 percent water, makes up 55 percent of blood volume.
Healthy bone marrow makes a constant supply of red cells, plasma and platelets.
Blood or plasma that comes from people who have been paid for it cannot be used to human transfusion.
Granulocytes, a type of white blood cell, roll along blood vessel walls in search of bacteria to engulf and destroy.
White cells are the body’s primary defense against infection.
Apheresis is a special kind of blood donation that allows a donor to give specific blood components, such as platelets.
42 days: how long most donated red blood cells can be stored.
Five days: how long most donated platelets can be stored.
One year: how long frozen plasma can be stored.
Much of today’s medical care depends on a steady supply of blood from healthy donors.
2.7 pints: the average whole blood and red blood cell transfusion.*
Children being treated for cancer, premature infants and children having heart surgery need blood and platelets from donors of all types, especially type O.
Anemic patients need blood transfusions to increase their red blood cell levels.
Cancer, transplant and trauma patients, and patients undergoing open-heart surgery may require platelet transfusions to survive.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease that affects more than 80,000 people in the United States, 98 percent of whom are of African descent.
Many patients with severe sickle cell disease receive blood transfusions every month.
A patient could be forced to pass up a lifesaving organ, if compatible blood is not available to support the transplant.
Thirteen tests (11 for infectious diseases) are performed on each unit of donated blood.
17 percent of non-donors cite “never thought about it” as the main reason for not giving, while 15 percent say they’re too busy.
The #1 reason blood donors say they give is because they “want to help others.”
Shortages of all blood types happen during the summer and winter holidays.
Blood centers often run short of types O and B red blood cells.
The rarest blood type is the one not on the shelf when it’s needed by a patient.
There is no substitute for human blood.
If all blood donors gave three times a year, blood shortages would be a rare event (The current average is about two.).
If only one more percent of all Americans would give blood, blood shortages would disappear for the foreseeable future.
46.5 gallons: amount of blood you could donate if you begin at age 17 and donate every 56 days until you reach 79 years old.
Four easy steps to donate blood: medical history, quick physical, donation and snacks.
The actual blood donation usually takes about 10 minutes. The entire process – from the time you sign in to the time you leave – takes about an hour.
After donating blood, you replace the fluid in hours and the red blood cells within four weeks. It takes eight weeks to restore the iron lost after donating.
You cannot get AIDS or any other infectious disease by donating blood.
10 pints: amount of blood in the body of an average adult.
One unit of whole blood is roughly the equivalent of one pint.
Blood makes up about 7 percent of your body’s weight.
A newborn baby has about one cup of blood in his body.
Giving blood will not decrease your strength.
Any company, community organization, place of worship or individual may contact their local community blood center to host a blood drive.
Blood drives hosted by companies, schools, places of worship and civic organizations supply roughly half of all blood donations across the US.
People who donate blood are volunteers and are not paid for their donation.
500,000: the number of Americans who donated blood in the days following the September 11 attacks.
Blood donation. It’s about an hour of your time. It’s About Life.
** W Riley, et al. The United States’ potential blood donor pool: estimating the prevalence of donor-exclusion factors on the pool of potential donors. Transfusion 2007.
*Source: The 2005 Nationwide Blood Collection and Utilization Survey Report, Department of Health & Human Services.