I believed that many of us have seen the recent movie, Iron Man, the Marvel Comic superhero who uses his high power suit and weapons to fight crime. He can fly faster than the jet fighter and carry more powerful weapon than a F16 Tomcat. He just wants to ensure that the good will survive and get rid of the bad.

The iron in our body is also very much the same. The function of iron is to combine with protein to form hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of the blood. It travels to every part of our body supplying oxygen, an essential component for sustaining life. Eighty five percent of the total body iron is used in this fashion, with only about five percent found in muscle protein and a small amount within the cells. A portion of the brain also contains a high percentage of iron. All of these compounds are vital for cell respiration, in which oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged.

A deficiency of iron will result in anemia. It is evidenced by pale skin and mucous membranes, weakness, fatigue and shortness of breath due to lack of oxygen. However the problem is that not all anemia is associated with lack of sufficient iron. Therefore not all anemia will respond to additional iron intake. Anemia can be due to lack of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, internal bleeding or liver and kidney failure. Otherwise iron deficiency can be compensated by intake 30 to 60mg of iron supplement.

Excessive of iron is not good either. Too much of iron can be serious or even fatal in people with Parkinsonism, sickle-cell disease, hemosiderosis, cirrhosis and thalassemia, among other diseases. Some schizophrenics also react poorly to excessive iron. Iron deposits are found in the joints of arthritics, and excessive iron may be the cause of bleeding into the joints. At the same time, arthritics have low serum iron, which zinc and manganese supplements may help, since they move iron from joints to the blood.

Excessive iron can also prevent proper utilization of vitamin C. Accidental iron overload can happen from regular consumption of food cooked in iron pots. An excessive intake of red wine, excess iron in water from old pipes and very low-protein diets can also cause iron overload.

In order to balance of iron in your body, it is recommended to take more food rich in vitamin C. This will increase the absorption of iron, making iron overload less likely to happen. Liver, kidneys, red meats, egg yolks, green leafy vegetables, dried beans, peas, blackstrap molasses and whole grains are good sources of natural iron which is safe to eat. It will be difficult to get iron overload from eating these food. Thus rely less on iron supplement unless really necessary. Consult your doctor before going on a program of iron supplement.