A hidden cause of your digestive pain, bloating, and gas.
Adding this to our food has caused an epidemic of digestive issues.
And no one is talking about it…
Let’s dive in.
Iron is obviously vital for health: supporting our immunity, thyroid function, detoxification, respiration and metabolism.
Billions suffer from iron deficiency, a plight leading to anemia and stunted cognitive and physical growth in children, making iron an indispensable mineral crucial for oxygen transport and cellular function.
BUT the way we consume it now, it is a lurking danger, perhaps even igniting an epidemic of gut problems.
Iron overload affects over 35 million people.
Too much iron translates into oxidative stress in organs, fostering a range of ailments: heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and beyond.
Post-WWII, widespread iron fortification of commercial grains in the U.S. has been the strategy against iron-deficiency since rationing limited access to meats.
But we still do it now, and we eat more of these fortified grains than ever.
The result has been a significant 50% increase in iron intake since the 1950s, which has corresponded with an epidemic of digestive disease: IBD and IBS are on an exponential increase, with over 40% of people now reporting they have some kind of digestive problem.
A glance at typical iron contents per cup in popular grain products like cereals and oats reveals alarmingly high numbers.
Just one meal can propel someone close to, or beyond, the upper limit.
The current iron fortification in food means we’re consistently skirting dangerously close to these thresholds.
However, the main problem is the type of iron used for fortification.
The iron in fortified foods is mainly non-heme iron — a form less absorbable by our bodies.
That may sound like a win for dealing with all of the cases of iron overload, but just because we don’t absorb it, doesn’t mean those bugs don’t.
Without being absorbed in the upper GI tract, the leftover dietary iron makes its way to the colon, where the bacteria reside.
We also block our own absorption of iron since having too much is an oxidative and inflammatory liability.
We also can put iron back into the gut as a means of excreting excess iron.
All of this can put a ton of stress on the gut as it becomes overloaded with iron.
This unabsorbed iron creates a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria.
These bastards LOVE iron, they thrive on it.
During systemic infections, our immune system has mechanisms to sequester this excess dietary iron and deplete it from these pathogens.
However, we do not have an iron depleting mechanism in the gut, so this excess unabsorbed iron just lingers in the colon where these pathogenic bacteria have a field day.
This is a HUGE problem for your gut.
This type of bacterial overgrowth is perhaps the primary driver of digestive problems, leading to gas buildup, pain, bloating, diarrhea, and even systemic symptoms like poor energy and mood.
You can read more about that here:
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Several studies have looked at the impact of iron fortification of foods to prevent iron deficiency, with disturbing results.
Iron fortification was demonstrated to result in an increased hospitalization risk for bloody diarrhea as well as an increase in overall gut inflammation.
The abundance of iron lead to a 5-fold decline in Lactobacilli but a 5-fold increase in the pathogenic endotoxin producing Enterobacteria, as well as an increase in E. Coli.
Essentially, it induced classic signs of dysbiosis / bacterial overgrowth, leading to digestive problems.
Increased iron in the intestine also fosters free radical damage in the mucosa, especially in the large intestine, depleting this critical boundary layer of protection, leaving our guts more sensitive and vulnerable to inflammation.
This is another key driver of digestive issues.
This oxidative stress induced by excess iron can result in a “leaky gut,” where pathogens and other unwanted components of the gut can leak into the bloodstream.
Consequently, a compromised gut from iron overload may lead to systemic inflammation, an insidious response potentially driving other diseases throughout the body.
A very promising option is LACTOFERRIN, an iron chelating protein found in milk.
There’s a ton of research on lactoferrin reducing bacterial overgrowths, gut inflammation, leaky gut, etc, and I’ll have more content on that soon, so stay tuned.
Lactoferrin is in milk, but is degraded significantly by pasteurization, and even if you’re drinking raw, it may still be difficult to drink enough to reach therapeutic levels.
It’s also concentrated in colostrum if you can get your hands on that.
Numerous human trials show lactoferrin supplementation at 100–600 mg/day for 8+ weeks can lower iron levels, combat gut inflammation and most importantly reduce SYMPTOMS like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Here is the lactoferrin we use.
Without glaring symptoms or relevant family history, many remain unaware of their iron levels and the associated risks.
An iron panel checks serum iron, TIBC (total iron binding capacity), transferrin saturation, and ferritin. That’s a good place to start.
If excess is an issue for you, specific polyphenols in tea and coffee can significantly reduce iron uptake of bacteria with an iron heavy meal, and consequently seem to dampen bacterial overgrowth.
Routine blood donation is a good way to rid the body of excess iron, and anecdotally this can actually help with gut issues and chronic infections.
Of course, removing excess iron from the diet would be paramount as well, increasing bioavailable heme iron while minimizing non-absorbable forms (like fortified iron) that can harm the gut.
