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A fascinating new study shows the importance of iron during teenage years to facilitate the formation of high-quality brain structure a decade later. These findings are of significant importance to the public health, as they will impact the potential intelligence of our society.
Measuring blood levels of iron is not an accurate way to determine iron need. Measuring functional proteins involved with iron metabolism give better indicators. For example, measuring ferritin helps you know how much iron you have in storage, a much better predictor of your iron status. Another method, as used in the current study, was to measure transferrin, a protein that transports iron around your body and into your brain. As your transferrin levels rise it typically means that your iron levels are declining, indicating that your body is trying harder to deliver needed iron. This is a functional test of iron status.
In this UCLA study the researchers evaluated the transferrin status of 615 healthy teens at 12, 14 and 16 years of age. At an average age of 23 these young adults went through an advanced MRI that shows the structural integrity of the brain. Those with the highest transferrin levels had abnormalities in structural integrity, meaning reduced formation of myelin connections between neurons. In the present this means reduced potential of brain speed which translates to non-optimal cognitive function. In the future this likely means increased risk for cognitive decline.
It is important to understand that this study was not done on children in poor health or who were anemic and blatantly iron deficient. This study was done on your “average” teenager.
The researchers were able to document that the increased transferrin actually turned on a gene that was causing the problem in optimal structural formation of the brain during growth. Therefore, the solution is to lower transferrin by ensuring iron adequacy in the diet.
Iron is vital for the first few decades of life because it is required for rapid cell rejuvenation that fuels growth. A lack of iron in the diet, especially for those who do not eat red meat, may be problematic. Heavy menstrual cycles are an issue for young women. And exercise, especially training for competitive sports, significantly increases iron demand (runners are at particular risk for low iron).
Never take cheap iron salts as dietary supplements (ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate), as they can wreak havoc with digestive health. My favorite form of supplemental iron is iron glycinate, a true protein chelate of iron.
Parents who are not sure of the iron status of their children can have their blood tested for ferritin and transferrin. You will have to ask for these additional tests because they are not part of a routine blood panel and are not usually ordered unless the doctor suspects anemia. However, your purpose for these tests is to ascertain the optimal iron status of your child to support growth and intelligence. You want both ferritin and transferrin to be in the middle of the normal range. As ferritin numbers drop lower than the middle of the range or transferrin numbers begin to rise, then your child’s intake of iron is less than optimal.
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Measuring blood levels of iron is not an accurate way to determine iron need. Measuring functional proteins involved with iron metabolism give better indicators. For example, measuring ferritin helps you know how much iron you have in storage, a much better predictor of your iron status. Another method, as used in the current study, was to measure transferrin, a protein that transports iron around your body and into your brain. As your transferrin levels rise it typically means that your iron levels are declining, indicating that your body is trying harder to deliver needed iron. This is a functional test of iron status.
In this UCLA study the researchers evaluated the transferrin status of 615 healthy teens at 12, 14 and 16 years of age. At an average age of 23 these young adults went through an advanced MRI that shows the structural integrity of the brain. Those with the highest transferrin levels had abnormalities in structural integrity, meaning reduced formation of myelin connections between neurons. In the present this means reduced potential of brain speed which translates to non-optimal cognitive function. In the future this likely means increased risk for cognitive decline.
It is important to understand that this study was not done on children in poor health or who were anemic and blatantly iron deficient. This study was done on your “average” teenager.
The researchers were able to document that the increased transferrin actually turned on a gene that was causing the problem in optimal structural formation of the brain during growth. Therefore, the solution is to lower transferrin by ensuring iron adequacy in the diet.
Iron is vital for the first few decades of life because it is required for rapid cell rejuvenation that fuels growth. A lack of iron in the diet, especially for those who do not eat red meat, may be problematic. Heavy menstrual cycles are an issue for young women. And exercise, especially training for competitive sports, significantly increases iron demand (runners are at particular risk for low iron).
Never take cheap iron salts as dietary supplements (ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate), as they can wreak havoc with digestive health. My favorite form of supplemental iron is iron glycinate, a true protein chelate of iron.
Parents who are not sure of the iron status of their children can have their blood tested for ferritin and transferrin. You will have to ask for these additional tests because they are not part of a routine blood panel and are not usually ordered unless the doctor suspects anemia. However, your purpose for these tests is to ascertain the optimal iron status of your child to support growth and intelligence. You want both ferritin and transferrin to be in the middle of the normal range. As ferritin numbers drop lower than the middle of the range or transferrin numbers begin to rise, then your child’s intake of iron is less than optimal.
More...
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