The Dangerous Side of Iron "Deficiency" & Fortification
Many people are taught that iron infusions, iron supplements, and iron fortification are a good thing, but it's far from that...
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The Iron Overload Paradox: Why More Iron Won’t Fix Anemia
Iron deficiency anemia is something we’ve all heard about. It’s supposed to be a simple problem: not enough iron in your blood, so you feel tired, weak, and maybe a little pale.
The solution seems simple: eat more iron-rich foods, take supplements, or, in some cases, get an iron infusion.
But we’re getting way more iron than ever before, and yet, anemia rates aren’t dropping. In fact, they’re very high and common.
This doesn’t add up. Let me explain how pumping more iron into our bodies is doing more damage than good, why we need to stop, and what the real reason is behind anemia or “low” iron.
The Iron Overload: Too Much of a “Good” Thing?
Think about how much iron we’re exposed to today. Our food supply is loaded with it. Cereals, bread, pasta, and snacks are fortified with iron to prevent “deficiencies”.
Walk down any grocery aisle, and you’ll see “iron-fortified” on labels. On top of that, millions of people take iron supplements daily.
For those diagnosed with severe anemia, doctors often prescribe iron infusions, delivering a big dose straight into the bloodstream. If you add it all up, we’re getting at least ten times more iron than our ancestors did a century ago, when fortification wasn’t a thing and there were no supplements.
So, if iron is everywhere, why are so many people still diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia? It’s ludicrous when you think about it. The average person has about 5,500 mg of iron in their body, most of it stored in organs and tissues, and not in the blood.
But when a doctor takes a blood test, they often see low iron levels in the blood and immediately say, “You’re deficient”. But there is more to the story…
Here is the real truth: those blood tests are practically useless for telling the whole story about iron.
Blood Tests Don’t Tell the Full Story
Blood tests measure things like serum iron or ferritin, which show how much iron is circulating in your blood. But they don’t account for the iron stuck in your tissues and organs, your liver, spleen, heart, and even your brain.
Studies suggest that the iron stored in tissues can be up to ten times higher than what’s in your blood. So, while your blood test might say “low iron,” your body could be hoarding it in places where it’s not supposed to be.
Iron is bioaccumulative, meaning it builds up in the body over time and doesn’t easily leave. Unlike some other nutrients that your body flushes out when you have too much.
Vitamin C, which we’re told to take to boost iron absorption, makes this worse. Vitamin C helps your gut pull more iron from food and supplements into your system.
Sounds great, except when your body is already overloaded, adding more iron just piles it into your tissues, not your blood, where it’s needed.
This creates a cycle: low blood iron, more supplements, more tissue storage, and still no fix for anemia.
Anemia Isn’t Just About Iron Levels
This brings us to a critical point: anemia isn’t just about how much iron you have, it’s about iron dysfunction. Your body might have plenty of iron, but if it’s stuck in your tissues and not being used properly, you’ll still feel the symptoms of anemia, which are fatigue, weakness, brain fog, and many others.
Iron infusions are often seen as a quick fix, but they only work short-term for many people. They flood your blood with iron, which might perk you up for a few weeks or months, but the effects are not permanent.
Infusions can leave long-term side effects like joint pain, digestive issues, or even organ damage because more iron gets dumped into your already overloaded tissues.
The idea that we’re all deficient in iron is absurd. We’re not lacking iron, we are overloaded with it.
The problem is that our bodies aren’t using it right. Something else is going on, something the medical world isn’t talking about enough. To understand the real fix, we need to look beyond iron.
The Copper Connection: The Key To Fixing Anemia
