Iron Intake Linked to Greater Appetite, Disease Risk

Dietary iron intake can not only increase the potential to overeat, but can raise one’s risk of diseases such as diabetes, fatty liver disease, and Alzheimer’s, according to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers.

A team led by Don McClain, PhD, director of Wake Forest Baptist’s Center on Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, fed male mice high (2000 mg/kg) and low-normal (35 mg/kg) iron diets for 2 months, subsequently measuring the levels of iron in fat tissue. McClain and colleagues saw a 215% increase of iron in the mice that were fed a high-iron diet in comparison to those fed the low-normal diet. The authors also found that levels of leptin—the hormone that regulates appetite—in the blood were 42% lower in the mice on the high-iron diet.
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These results were verified through ferritin blood tests from a large number of human participants in a prior clinical study, according to the authors, who note that fat tissue responds to iron availability to adjust the expression of leptin.

At this juncture, the findings suggest that “we should discourage eating red meat, and that iron supplements should be taken only when there is a true lack of iron,” says McClain. “Studies are ongoing—and there are suggestive small studies in the literature—to determine if we should be aiming for iron levels in the low-to-mid range of normal, not only for this problem, but also for diabetes, fatty liver disease, Alzheimer’s, and others.”

If this were the case, he says, “donation of a few units of blood can achieve that result, but the data at this time are insufficient to support its widespread adoption.”

—Mark McGraw

Reference

Gao Y, Zhonggang L, et al. Adipocyte iron regulates leptin and food intake. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2015.