Iron in the Blood

Males of average height have about 4 grams of iron in their body, females about 3.5 grams; children will usually have 3 grams or less. These 3-4 grams are distributed throughout the body in hemoglobin, tissues, muscles, bone marrow, blood proteins, enzymes, ferritin, hemosiderin, and transport in plasma.

What should be the iron level?

According to the Mayo Clinic, normal hematocrit levels, or the volume of red blood cells to the total volume of blood, should range between 34.9 and 44.5 percent in women; in men, healthy levels are from 38.8 to 50 percent. Low iron levels usually indicate anemia.

What causes iron overload in the blood?

Blood loss means iron loss. Iron overload disorder can be either: Passed on genetically; this is known as primary hemochromatosis, hereditary hemochromatosis, or classic hemochromatosis. The result of some condition, such as chronic liver disease, that causes the body to absorb excessive amounts of iron
What causes high iron levels?

High blood iron is usually the result of hemochromatosis, a disease in which the body absorbs too much iron from the diet. Secondary hemochromatosis is a complication arising from certain diseases, and can also result when multiple blood transfusions are used in treating certain diseases.

What is it called when you have too much iron in your blood?

Hemochromatosis is a condition that causes the body to absorb and store too much iron. Some iron is essential for carrying oxygen in the blood to organs and tissues, but too much is toxic. Hemochromatosis is a common cause of iron overload.


THE IRON CONTENT OF THE WHOLE BLOOD OF
NORMAL INDIVIDUALS
BY 0. M. HELMER AND CHARLES P. EMERSON, JR.
(From the Lilly Laboratory for Clinical Research, Indianapolis City
Hospital, Indianapolis)
(Received for publication, November 15, 1933)

During the course of an investigation involving the determination
of blood iron values in normal subjects, it became evident
that the results were consistently higher than the figures recently
reported for human blood by Murphy, Lynch, and Howard (1)
and Reich and Tiedemann (2). Furthermore, hemoglobin values
calculated on the basis of their iron determinations differed considerably
from values obtained by them, with the Sahli and Newcomer
methods. Oxygen capacity figures calculated from their
iron determinations were also lower than those generally considered
normal in the literature. Since the oxygen capacity
method is the standard method of determining the hemoglobin
content of blood, simultaneous determinations of oxygen capacity
by the Van Slyke and Neil1 method (3) and iron determinations
by the Kennedy method (4) were made on the blood of a series of
normal men and women. Since the completion of this work,
Sachs, Levine, and Appelsis (5), using the Wong method (6), have
reported iron values for the blood of normal men that are in accord
with the data recorded in this paper, although their figures for
normal women are definitely lower.

In order to determine whether the discrepancies in the iron
values quoted in the papers above might be explained by the
methods used for estimating t,he iron content, a comparison was
also made between the Kennedy and the Wong methods.

Methods

The subjects used for these experiments-doctors, nurses, students,

and technicians-were all apparently normal individuals between the ages of 20 and 40 years. Samples were obtained for
analysis by withdrawing approximately 10 cc. of venous blood
from the large arm vein of each individual and transferring the
blood to a bottle containing iron-free sodium oxalate. All collections
were made between the hours of 8.30 a.m. and 10 a.m.
during the months of July and August.
TABLE I
Results of Analyses for Iron Content and Oxygen Capacity on Blood of Ten Normal Men and Ten Normal Women with Oxygen Capacity Also Calculated from Total Iron Content and Protein Iron Content

The oxygen capacity was then determined by the method of
Van Slyke and Neil1 (3). Iron was determined by the Kennedy
method (4). The blood was digested without difficulty in 25
X 200 mm. Pyrex glass test-tubes instead of the Kjeldahl flasks
recommended by Kennedy.

In comparing the Kennedy and Wong methods, the same pipette
was used to measure both blood samples, 1 cc. samples being used
for both methods. We found better results could be obtained in
the Wong method when 4 cc. of distilled water were added to the
blood before the concentrated sulfuric acid was added. 

The red blood cell counts were made on the samples obtained
from the arm vein. Standard pipettes and counting chambers
were used.

Results

The results of the analyses are shown in Table I. The iron
values are converted into oxygen capacity figures by multiplying

TABLE II

Results of Determination of Iron in Whole Blood of Normal Individuals by

Kennedy and Wong Methods

the mg. per cent of iron by 0.400. (Since 1 mole of oxygen occupies
22,400 cc. at 0”, 760 mm., the molal ratio Fe:O, = 1: 1
corresponds to a ratio of gm. of Fe to cc. of O2 = 56:22,400 =
1:400, or mg. of Fe to cc. of O2 = 1:O .400.) McIntosh (7) has
shown that normal blood contains 1.02 mg. .of non-protein iron
per 100 cc. Therefore we have also converted the iron values to
oxygen capacity after subtracting this figure from the total iron

values. 

In Table II are shown the mg. of iron in 100 cc. of the same blood
analyzed by the Kennedy and Wong methods.

DISCUSSION

The data presented in this paper show that there is a close agreement
between the hemoglobin cont’ent of normal human blood as
determined by the oxygen capacity method and the Kennedy iron
method. Therefore, the determination of iron offers an easy
means of estimating the hemoglobin content of blood or of standardizing
calorimetric methods of estimating hemoglobin. If we
add the figures of eight of the cases from Table II, which were not
included in Table I, the average iron content of the blood of eighteen
normal men, determined by the Kennedy method, varied from
49.3 to 57.2 mg. per 100 cc., with an average of 52.5 mg. per 100 cc.
of blood. For the ten normal women the iron content varied from
42.0 to 49.8 mg. per 100 cc. of blood, with an average of 45.8 mg.

In Table III the results of the recent iron determinations in
human blood and the oxygen capacity and hemoglobin figures
calculated from the iron content are compared to the hemoglobin
figures recorded in the literature for normal men and women.
The data of Reich and Tiedemann are not included in Table III
because their normals can hardly be called that in the strict sense
of the word. The iron values reported in this paper agree with
the values of hemoglobin reported on larger series of cases by
Haden (8), Osgood (9), and Wintrobe and Miller (10). The results
of Murphy and coworkers are definitely lower than would be
expected for blood with normal hemoglobin content.

As shown in Table II, the Kennedy method gave distinctly
higher results than the Wong method. Although the simplicity
of the Wong method recommends its use, in our experience the
Kennedy method proved to be more satisfactory.

SUMMARY

1. There is a close agreement between t.he hemoglobin content
of blood as determined by its iron content and oxygen capacity.
2. The blood iron content of eighteen normal men, determined
by the Kennedy method, varied from 49.3 to 57.2 mg. per 100 cc.,

with an average of 52.5 mg. 

TABLE III

Results of Recent Iron Determinations in Ilunlan Blood, and Oxygen Capacity
and Hemoglobin Values, Calculated from Iron Content, and Normal
Values oj Hemoglobin and Oxygen Capacity As Recorded in
Recent Literature

3. The blood iron content of ten normal women varied from 12.0

to 49.8 mg. per 100 cc., with an average of 45.8 mg.

4. Higher iron values were obtained with the Kennedy method

than with the Wong method.

The authors wish to thank -Miss Dorothy Schaefer, Miss Betty

Goss, and l&L-. Clyde Ford for their assistance. 

http://www.jbc.org/content/104/1/157.citation

Access the most updated version of this article 

Facts About Water & Iodine

Interesting Facts About Water & Iodine

IODINE – ESSENTIAL INFORMATION ON SUPPLEMENTING WHEN USING SEA SALT

Iodine is a very important element for the regulation of the fluid content of the body. Iodine is essential for the thyroid gland to manufacture thyroxin, its primary hormone.* It seems that thyroxin is the element that stimulates the cells to manufacture all the pump proteins that regulate the sodium, potassium, and other mineral balances outside and inside the cells, and that generate energy in the process. With the movement of sodium and potassium across the cell membrane, not only will water also move to balance the osmotic pressure in and out of the cell, but the other mineral-transferring pumps will take their cue and regulate the magnesium, potassium and calcium levels of the cell interior as well.



Before salt was iodized, many people suffered from iodine deficiency and lumpy thyroid gland enlargement in their necks, known as thyroid goiter. One of the major complications of iodine deficiency is the collection of hard-to-move and inelastic swelling and edema, known as myxedema. Other complications are dry skin, loss of hair and memory, tiredness, sleepiness and loss of muscle tissue. As you can see, iodine is vital for good health and good fluid balance.



*Much to my regret*, *I discovered that unrefined sea salt does not have enough iodine. *Thinking that sea salt has many important trace elements, I switched to using only sea salt and was not diligent in taking foods and multivitamins that would provide my body with the iodine it needs. My second mistake was that being so busy with sharing my medical breakthrough on water metabolism of the body with people that I was not alert to my own health problems. I developed all the early stages of iodine deficiency, but no goiter in my neck. However, I developed an uncomfortable feeling in my chest and also shortness of breath.

A high-resolution CT scan of my chest revealed a massive thyroid goiter in my chest that was pressing on my trachea, to the point of deforming it. This was three months ago. I adjusted my iodine intake in the form of dried kelp or as part of the composition of the one-a-day multivitamin that I now take religiously. As a result, my breathing problem has cleared, my edema has cleared, I am no longer lethargic, and my energy level has increased; my sleep has normalized; my blood pressure is back to the normal range. I now feel much healthier and more confident and have lost fifteen pounds of the swelling that I had amassed. All these improvements have been made possible because of the vital role of simple iodine in the physiology of the body and adjustment to my intake of vital minerals mentioned above. You see, even doctors get sick, and that is how we learn*. A word of caution: Do not overdo iodine intake. It could cause other problems.*

by Emma Ross 
The Associated Press


Top Essentials of Life

1. Oxygen    2. Water    3. Salt    4. Potassium    5. Exercise

FACT - No one can live without these. Mainstream medicine too often ignores 2 & 3 in favor of selling drugs and procedures to treat the symptoms of dehydration.

FACT - Nothing kills life quicker than lack of water.

FACT - The people with the worst health drink the least water and use the most deadly diuretic drought causing drugs - caffeine and/or alcohol.

FACT - The salinity of the water outside the cells in our bodies is the same as the ocean.

FACT - In the middle ages people were put to a horrible death by salt deprivation.

FACT - Health care makes big bucks by selling a quart of water with salt in it (Saline 4) for up to $350.00 installed, but won't tell the patients they do indeed need more water and salt in their diets.

FACT - How can you expect drug companies to do research on the importance of water in our daily lives when they can't make money on it? Who does research to put themselves out of business?

FACT - No two substances in the Bible are mentioned more than water and salt. (Click Here for verses about salt in the Bible)


FACT - The environment of an unborn baby is water and salt.

WATER IS THE FIRST NUTRIENT THE BODY NEEDS

Here are some of the other reasons why your body needs water everyday:

1.Without water, nothing lives.

2.Comparative shortage of water suppresses and eventually kills some aspects of the body.

3.Water is the main source of energy—the “cash flow” of the body.

4.Water generates electrical and magnetic energy inside each and every cell of the body—it provides the power to live.

5.Water prevents DNA damage and makes its repair mechanisms more efficient—less abnormal DNA is made.

6.Water increases greatly the efficiency of the immune system in the bone marrow where the immune system is formed (all its mechanisms)—including its efficiency against cancer.

7.Water is the main solvent for all foods, vitamins, and minerals. It is used in the breakdown of food into smaller particles and their eventual metabolism and assimilation.

8.Water energizes food, and food particles are then able to supply the body with this energy during digestion. This is why food without water has absolutely no energy value for the body.

9.Water increases the rate of absorption into the body of essential substances in food.

10.Water is used to transport all substances inside the body.

11.Water increases the efficiency of red blood sells in collecting oxygen in the lungs.

12.When water reaches a cell, it brings the cell oxygen and takes the waste gases to the lungs for disposal.

13.Water clears toxic waste from different parts of the body and takes it to the liver and kidneys for disposal.

14.Water is the main lubricant in the joint spaces and prevents arthritis and back pain.

15.Water is used in the spinal discs to make them “shock-absorbing water cushions.” 





16.Water is the best lubricating laxative and prevents constipation.

17.Water prevents heart attacks and strokes.

18.Water prevents clogging of arteries in the heart and the brain.

19.Water is essential for the body’s cooling (sweat) and heating (electrical) systems.

20.Water gives us power and electrical energy for all brain functions, particularly thinking.

21.Water is directly needed for the efficient manufacture of all neurotransmitters, including serotonin.

22.Water is directly needed for the production of all hormones made by the brain, including melatonin.

23.Water prevents attention deficit disorder in children and adults.

24.Water increases efficiency at work; it expands your attention span.

25.Water is a better pick-me-up than any other beverage in the world—and it has no side effects.

26.Water prevents stress, anxiety, and depression.

27.Water restores normal sleep rhythms.

28.Water prevents fatigue—it gives the energy of youth.

29.Water makes the skin smooth and prevents aging.

30.Water gives luster and shine to the eyes.

31.Water prevents glaucoma.

32.Water normalizes the blood-manufacturing systems in the bone marrow—it helps prevent leukemia and lymphoma.


Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside some of the bones in the body, including the hip and thigh bones. Bone marrow contains immature cells, called stem cells.


33.Water is absolutely vital for making the immune system more efficient in different regions to fight infections and cancer cells where they are formed.

34.Water dilutes the blood and prevents it from clotting during circulation.

35.Water decreases premenstrual pains and hot flashes.

36.Water and heartbeats create the dilution of “waves” that keep things from “sedimenting” in the blood stream.

37.The human body has no water storage to draw on during dehydration. This is why you must drink regularly throughout the day.

38.Dehydration prevents sex hormone production—one of the primary causes of impotence and loss of libido.

39.Drinking water separates the sensations of thirst and hunger.

40.To lose weight, water is the best way to go—drink water on time and lose weight without much dieting. Also, you will not eat excessively when you are only thirsty for water.

41.Dehydration causes deposits of toxic sediments in the tissue spaces, fat stores, joints, kidneys, liver, brain, and skin. Water will clear these deposits.

42.Water takes away the morning sickness of pregnancy. {4 AM to 12 Noon is the body's excretion period.}[Your body runs on 3 eight-hour cycles per day. Formally referred to as the Circadian Rhythms, and known for thousands of years via Ayurvedic teachings, to me understanding and applying these body clock principles has been the reason behind enjoying easy digestion, keeping my weight from fluctuating, never experiencing fatigue and maximizing my metabolism.

These are the cycles:

    4AM-12PM Elimination
   12PM-8PM Appropriation
    8PM-4AM Assimilation

During the hours between 4AM and 12PM, your body is in the Elimination Cycle. It never stops to work on your digestion and you can still eat or drink or whatever at this time, but understanding that this is the period most important for cleansing and releasing toxins (‘Eliminating’), we can make the right food choices if we are going to eat. It is best to stick to liquids and most hydrating living foods, as we let our body shed the toxins (think how you wake up tired, sweaty, headachie and with bad breath- all are signs of detox symptoms). So if you do choose to eat during this period, it is important to go for anything that will require minimal digestion and support this cleansing cycle, such as fresh fruit or green juices. This is why you often hear experts refer to breakfast as ‘the most important meal of the day’, exactly so you can make a careful choice on what’s light on digestion, not so you can eat the most gigantic feast. You are breaking the fast (break-fast), so do it right or proper elimination won’t get a chance.

“The elimination cycle is without question your greatest ally in the preservation of health and prevention of disease”; “If a blood test was to be taken every hour for 24 hours, it would show that the bloodstream is most heavily burdened with the by-products of metabolism during the hours between 4am-12noon, indicating the stepped up elimination cycle, because it is the blood that carries waste material to the four channels of elimination: bowels, bladder, lungs, and skin”– Harvey & Marilyn Diamond, Fit for Life

During the hours between 12PM and 8PM, your body is in the Appropriation Cycle. During this period, we are most awake, active, present and therefore efficient at digesting, metabolizing and burning through the majority of our heavily concentrated foods. This is why the majority of meals (lunch, dinner and snacks) also occur during this cycle. The most important thing to do during this period however IS NOT to be dictated by the clock or so called ‘norms’ of mealtime, when we are too starving to care what we have for lunch and tend to shove so much food down ourselves too quickly, that by the time the body registers what happened, it is too late and we overeat, get bloated and ‘too tired’ to digest. The most important thing to do then IS to eat only when hungry and in smaller portions, so you give your body plenty of breaks and chances to break down through the food with the least required effort, so it reserves the energy for everything else you need doing, not merely wasting it on digesting your meals.

During the hours between 8PM and 4AM, your body is in the Assimilation Cycle. This is the time you are most likely to be relaxed or sleeping. This period is when all the ‘assimilating’ or absorbing of nutrients and minerals from your food occurs and gets transported to your organs, bones and cells via the blood. It is when all the rebuilding, renewing and healing takes place. It makes sense to eat dinner early, so that the foods you eat are digested and out of the stomach in preparation for this phase. As all the goodness gets drawn from the food for you to strengthen, the remains get ready for Elimination, the start of the next cycle all over again.


Try this for yourself and be mindful of these three cycles for 10 days. Once you learn to pay attention to them, it will become second nature and your body will reap the bounty of benefits.

43.Water integrates mind and body functions. It increases the ability to realize goals and purpose.

44.Water prevents the loss of memory as we age. It prevents Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Lou Gehrig’s disease.


45.Water reverses addictive urges, including those for caffeine, alcohol, and some addictive drugs.

Stress Hormone And Dehydration

STRESS HORMONES AND DEYDRATION

Dehydration refers to the lack of free-to-use fresh water needed to perform new metabolic functions in the chemical events that take place every second of every minute of every hour of every day of your life. 60/60/24/7/52/ . Water that is not engaged in myriad other events and is free to break down proteins, starch, and fat actively drives the chemical events of the body into the immediate future. Your conscious mind may not recognise it, but having an inadequate  water supply daily for a go-getter body is highly stressful and invokes a strong hormonal reaction that involves the secretion of vasopressin, endorphins, prolactin and cortisone release factor, as well as the activation of the renin-angiotensin system. 

These hormones further dehydrate the body because any available free water is used up to break down the stored raw materials and energy sources of the body to deal with continuation of the taxing business at hand. The body is mainly made up of water, but the bulk of that water is almost inaccessible to new undertakings. The "old water" you might taken yesterday, or even a few hours ago, is  already history. You NEED FRESH INTAKE OF WATER to go forward into the future, without causing the body the stress of having to 'to rob Peter to pay Paul," in which case the body becomes too concentrated and acidic - the very setup that initiates disease. Just as your car (if you own one) needs adequate gas or petrol for the trip you have planned, so your body needs sufficient free water daily in the blood circulation to make the journey of the day into the night, and beyond.

Women, because of  .... ( continue in next post)