What Are the Functions of Iron in Metabolism?
Iron is one of the most important minerals in the human body. It is also one of the most abundant minerals on the planet. Iron is essential for many of the body’s metabolic functions, but its main role is in the production of hemoglobin, the protein within red blood cells that binds oxygen for delivery to the various organs 2. Iron is also important in the production of myoglobin, which helps catch oxygen for our muscles.
Production of hemoglobin
Iron is an integral component of hemoglobin, the oxygen-binding molecule inside red blood cells. As matter of fact, the iron within red blood cells is what gives blood its color. According to the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, about 70 percent of the body’s iron stores within red blood cells and the hemoglobin molecule 2. Iron is within a molecular complex known as the heme group. Each hemoglobin protein can carry four oxygen molecules to the tissues, and then releases it for the cells to carry out their metabolic processes.
- Iron is an integral component of hemoglobin, the oxygen-binding molecule inside red blood cells.
- According to the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, about 70 percent of the body’s iron stores within red blood cells and the hemoglobin molecule 2.
Production of myoglobin
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Myoglobin is another oxygen-binding protein, mostly found in skeletal muscle and the heart. According to Lab Tests Online, myoglobin’s job is to trap oxygen within muscle cells for use in the metabolic processes that generate energy for muscle contraction 1. The presence of iron in muscles gives them their rich brown appearance. Just like hemoglobin, myoglobin has a heme group at its core, where it binds and stores oxygen, ready for use in energy generation.
- Myoglobin is another oxygen-binding protein, mostly found in skeletal muscle and the heart.
- Just like hemoglobin, myoglobin has a heme group at its core, where it binds and stores oxygen, ready for use in energy generation.
Other roles of iron
Iron is also important in other metabolic processes. According to Washington University, the synthesis of DNA, the basic building block of all cells in the body, requires iron. Iron is also a component of neurotransmitters, the substances used by brain cells to communicate with each other. Iron is part of the production process of connective tissue, the cells and fibrous tissue that forms the “cellular glue” of the body. Iron is also important in the health of the body’s immune system.
- Iron is also important in other metabolic processes.
- Iron is also important in the health of the body’s immune system.
Iron deficiency
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Iron deficiency results either from poor dietary intake of iron, the inability to absorb iron from the digestive tract, or from excessive loss, such as in heavy menstrual bleeding. Because the majority of iron goes into the production of red blood cells, iron deficiency results in anemia. Iron deficiency anemia causes microcytic anemia, in which the body produces fewer and smaller red blood cells, which decreases their capacity to transport oxygen. Symptoms of iron deficiency anemia include weakness, fatigue and paleness.
- Iron deficiency results either from poor dietary intake of iron, the inability to absorb iron from the digestive tract, or from excessive loss, such as in heavy menstrual bleeding.
- Iron deficiency anemia causes microcytic anemia, in which the body produces fewer and smaller red blood cells, which decreases their capacity to transport oxygen.
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References
- Lab Tests Online: Iron
- UCSF Medical Center: Hemoglobin and Functions of Iron
- Abbaspour N, Hurrell R, Kelishadi R. Review on iron and its importance for human health. J Res Med Sci. 2014;19(2):164–174.
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Iron-Deficiency Anemia.
- Vaucher P, Druais PL, Waldvogel S, Favrat B. Effect of iron supplementation on fatigue in nonanemic menstruating women with low ferritin: a randomized controlled trial. CMAJ. 2012;184(11):1247-54. doi:10.1503/cmaj.110950
- Stugiewicz M, Tkaczyszyn M, Kasztura M, Banasiak W, Ponikowski P, Jankowska EA. The influence of iron deficiency on the functioning of skeletal muscles: experimental evidence and clinical implications. Eur J Heart Fail. 2016;18(7):762-73. doi:10.1002/ejhf.467
- Cherayil BJ. The role of iron in the immune response to bacterial infection. Immunol Res. 2011;50(1):1–9. doi:10.1007/s12026-010-8199-1
- Jáuregui-lobera I. Iron deficiency and cognitive functions. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2014;10:2087-95. doi:10.2147/NDT.S72491
- Cleveland Clinic. How to Tell If You Have Iron Deficiency Anemia. Updated October 30, 2017.
- Murat S, Ali U, Serdal K, et al. Assessment of subjective sleep quality in iron deficiency anaemia. Afr Health Sci. 2015;15(2):621–627. doi:10.4314/ahs.v15i2.40
- Dosman CF, Brian JA, Drmic IE, et al. Children with autism: effect of iron supplementation on sleep and ferritin. Pediatr Neurol. 2007;36(3):152-8. doi:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2006.11.004
- Office of Dietary Supplements. Iron Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated October 16, 2019.
Writer Bio
Ruben J. Nazario has been a medical writer and editor since 2007. His work has appeared in national print and online publications. Nazario is a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Medicine, and is board-certified in pediatrics. He also has a Master of Arts in liberal studies from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.