Iron Element Essays - Hematology, Mineral Deficiencies,

Iron Element Iron Element ron is the fourth most abundant element in the earth's crust; but it is only a trace element in biologic systems, making up only 0.004% of the body's mass. Yet it is an essential component or cofactor of numerous metabolic reactions. Every living cell in both plants and animals contains iron. The adult body contains about 50 mg of iron per 100 ml of blood. Total body iron ranges between two and six grams, depending on the size of the individual and the amount of hemoglobin the person's cells contain. Approximately two-thirds of this iron (70%) is contained in the hemoglobin; the other third is stored in the bone marrow, spleen, liver, and muscles. Myoglobin and enzymes use about 15% of the iron, while ferritin uses almost as much (14%). Only about 1% is in transit in serum. Most of the iron in the body is a component of the proteins hemoglobin in red blood cells and myoglobin in muscle cells. Hemoglobin in the blood carries oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body. Myoglobin holds oxygen for the muscles to use when they contract. If an individual has an iron deficiency, the iron stores are depleted first, followed by a reduction in hemoglobin. As a result, red blood cells (RBCs) are small in size and diminished in number. As part of many enzymes, iron is vital to the processes by which cells generate energy. Iron is also needed to make new cells, amino acids, hormones, and neurotransmitters. When a red blood cell dies, the liver saves the iron and returns it to the bone marrow, which uses it to build new red blood cells. Thus, only tiny amounts of iron are lost, mainly in urine, sweat, shed skin, and blood (if bleeding occurs). Iron is present in greatest concentration in meat and dark green vegetables. The USRDA for adults is 10 mg for males and 18 mg for menstruating females every day. The average daily American diet contains about 10 mg iron, of which only about 1 mg is absorbed, and that 1 mg is almost exclusively lost in the stool. For reproductive-aged females, an additional route is the menstrual flux, which accounts for a wildly variable loss. While the average monthly menstrual blood loss is 40 mL (equivalent to 16 mg iron), some women who consider themselves healthy may lose up to 495 mL blood (about 200 mg iron) per menstrual period, or an average of about 7 mg iron per day (200 mg iron