We all grew up with the myth of Arm wrestling and his super-powered spinach cans to the idea that this vegetable contained the elements for superhuman strength.
A little bit of the truth, a little bit of a legend, of course iron is a vital energy source for our body and in case of a shortage, exhaustion is just around the corner.
Even the skin color would change in an unhealthy emaciated aspect, because in the presence of anemia. So let's try to understand what terms like iron, ferritin, folic acid and, above all, how much they can be absorbed by our body mean.
Iron, its absorption
Did you know that iron comes in various forms? There is the organic iron and inorganic iron. Organic iron is hemic iron, which is bound to hemoglobin.
Il Iron EME it is easily absorbed, it is not affected or split by other elements and reaches the intestine intact; it represents about 75% of iron present in the body.
Lo we generally assume through food based on animal proteins, beef, horse, pork, poultry.
Inorganic iron, on the other hand, is non-heme iron, which is bound to ferritin and hemosiderin.
Il NON-HEME iron is not so immediately absorbed, as it depends on the state of oxidation.
In fact, there are two types of iron, the bivalent, soluble one, and the trivalent insoluble one. The trivalent one can be absorbed only if reduced to the bivalent state, and it is precisely in this operation that ascorbic acid, or the Vitamin C.
NON-HEME Iron is found deposited in the liver, spleen, bone marrow and represents about 25% of iron present in the body. Lor we take in through plant foods and all meats.
Read also Azuki, an iron mine >>
Iron-friendly vitamin C
Vegetables provide trivalent iron, therefore not soluble. It is necessary to free it from this condition and reduce it to bivalent to be bioavailable.
Vitamin C is able to activate this reduction, as well as citric acid and maintain its state until its complete absorption. L'stomach citric acid it is generally able to assist this transformation together with pepsin.
However, in the case of conditions in which you are debilitated, in which there is a lack of iron, or in which iron is not made bioavailable because perhaps you are using drugs that inhibit the proton pump for gastritis or to control gastroesophageal reflux it is necessary to supplement vitamin C.
Logically the citrus fruits in these conditions they are not recommended.
In herbal medicine it is possible to resort to vitamin C supplements obtained from acerola and rose hips to be associated with iron intake.
there ferrous gluconate preparations enriched with vitamin C, well absorbable to make up for iron deficiencies without weighing down the stomach.
Read also Folic acid, what is it for? >>
