From: ewstroup@cc.utah.edu (ERIC W. STROUP)
Subject: Re: vegan sources: B12, D3 and iron
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Keywords: iron
Organization: University of Utah Computer Center
Date:  9 Sep 1992 12:17 MST  

In article <1992Sep2.030241.4242@spdcc.com>, dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes...
{In article <altar.715386425@sfu.ca> altar@beaufort.sfu.ca (Ted Wayn Altar) writes
{
{ 
{>>The rationale for widespread iron supplementation presumably is that
{>>the public health benefits of such supplementation outweigh the risks
{>>to a small number of individuals.  Healthy men are in no danger of
{>>iron overload.
{>Let's not forget what this remark was addressing.  You said that
{>     "There is absolutely no evidence that iron supplementation
{>     at the levels found in flour is dangerous to men."
{>Now, I pointed out that there is indeed a possible problem for SOME men.
{ 
{But these men are going to need treatment anyway.  They're already
{getting poisoned by the iron occurring everywhere in their diet.
{They're not in a position to act like phenylketonurics and avoid
{phenylalanine in the diet.  The treatment in such cases is phlebotomy
{and chelation.  They can't control their disorder thru dietary means.
{ 
{>Of course, we have here the not uncommon dilemma of balancing
{>between benefiting the many at he cost of a few.  This is
{>essentially a socio-political decision, a decision that is not
{>better informed by unguarded remarks like the above.
{ 
{I'm comfortable with it; it's an issue of how qualified you want to
{make every remark you make, something I only take so far.  But I did
{qualify it in response to your comment.
{ 
{>Also, the issue of maintaining present levels iron additives in
{>foodstuffs is further muddied by the question of "efficacy", as I
{>earlier mentioned.  There may well be a better solution for
{>addressing this serious problem of iron anemia that is mainly
{>prevalent among childbearing women.  For instance, better dietary
{>habits, individual supplementation for high risk individuals,
{>supplementation for all woman during periods of greater risk,
{>better general education on nutrition, greater emphasis in high
{>school female health classes on iron anemia, etc.  Look, I'm not
{>against general health measures like fluoride being added to city
{>water supplies or of their being safe levels of iron being added
{>to our foodstuffs, but there some responsible health
{>professionals who are NOT convinced that we should solve the iron
{>anemia problem simply by further increasing the already possible
{>current risk to the few.
{ 
{But people (mostly men) who are homozygous for hemochromatosis are still
{at risk and this risk is stable (100%) until their metabolic derangement
{can be noticed and treatment initiated.  There aren't men walking around
{who would be asymptomatic except for this extra "push" over the edge.
{Heterozygotes appear to have normal iron absorption; it's rather a binary
{phenomenon.
{ 
{I really don't have an opinion about higher iron supplementation,
{but I think that this example of hemochromatosis is a bit of a red
{herring, if you'll pardon the expression.
{ 
{-- 
{Steve Dyer
{dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer

There has been a recent study by Dr. Jukka Salonen  that gave clinical 
evidence(1,931 patients) to the theory that iron content in the blood
is linked to the risk of heart attack ( published in the September 
issue of Circulation).  Dr. Jerome Sullivan wrote an accompanying
article in which he stated that the study is "the first solid evidence"
supporting the 1981 theory of Iron being a risk factor for heart disease.

--Eric Stroup
	ewstroup@cc.utah.edu

Newsgroups: rec.food.veg