Iron Fortification

[Recoen]

Can we talk about Fe really fast? Let me preface this with saying I don’t think fortified and/or processed foods should make up ones daily diet (baking desserts, etc are fairly straight forward). However, Masterjohn has gone to great lengths telling people to eat a carnivore only meal when they take their Fe supplement to absorb more Fe. And how phytates, etc block Fe absorption. So is it really the “fortification” of Fe filings leading to excess Fe the issue? Or are the Fe filings causing sufficient damage to the gi tract that is the issue. Of course you have the “leaky gut” (enterocyte swelling from the cytoplasm unstructuring) issue so the Fe could persorb.

*reposting my comment from the Peat discord for discussion

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Iron's Dangers

Ray Peat

raypeat.com

 

[tankasnowgod]

Can we talk about Fe really fast? Let me preface this with saying I don’t think fortified and/or processed foods should make up ones daily diet (baking desserts, etc are fairly straight forward). However, Masterjohn has gone to great lengths telling people to eat a carnivore only meal when they take their Fe supplement to absorb more Fe. And how phytates, etc block Fe absorption. So is it really the “fortification” of Fe filings leading to excess Fe the issue? Or are the Fe filings causing sufficient damage to the gi tract that is the issue. Of course you have the “leaky gut” (enterocyte swelling from the cytoplasm unstructuring) issue so the Fe could persorb.

*reposting my comment from the Peat discord for discussion

Iron intakes are at an all time high, and Iron Fortification and supplements are the primary drivers (although we may be eating more red meat, too)

Iron fortification in the US started in the 40's and increased in the 80's. If you have a copy of "Wheat Belly," you can go back over it with this in mind, and see that Iron Fortification might be responsible for many of the things Davis talks about. I don't know how he missed this, all he had to do was literally look at the ingredients label on a loaf of bread or pasta. Many of the things he talks about lines up with the side effects of those taking iron supplements.

You can extract iron from cereal using simple household items-


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHqN-Be5nlU&t=1s


You can't do that with meat or spinach.

Thomas Levy was one of the few who seem to have noticed the problems with iron fortification, in particular-


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUjmwTwNCAI&t=3s


If you read E.D. Weinberg's excellent book "Exposing the Hidden Dangers of Iron," he talks about the iron withholding system, and that all plants and animals use some similar system, and while iron is necessary, it's also a dangerous mineral. Most supplemental forms don't have the protection you would get from getting it in foods (like meat and spinach, mentioned above).

Excess iron can be dangerous no matter how it happened, but fortification and supplements are especially problematic.