Ferritin

Ironic Blood

Editor Steve Barfield

Ferritin - Measure of Storage Iron

Ferritin is the lab value that indicates storage iron. In some labs it may be called serum
ferritin. How does this work in the metabolism and how can we have too much? The
purpose of ferritin is to be a backup supply of iron, an extra amount held in reserve until
needed. This storage iron has become redundant in our modern age.

Early Man and Ferritin

By some math, man has been developing for over 4 million years. There was a definite
genetic advantage for early man to have ferritin on hand. As hunter gatherers, Homo
Erectus and those before him, had a rougher lifestyle and an uneven diet. So he was
genetically programmed for survival and daily blood loss.

There was a feast or famine rhythm to their daily sustenance. There was probably much
specialization in menu. There would have been meat for three days and vegetables for
the remainder of the week. Ferric iron which is found in meat is more absorbable than the
ferrous iron found in vegetables. There were probable periods of near starvation. So early
on there was a clear genetic advantage for excess iron in the struggle to gain enough
protein in the diet.

Precursor man also needed extra iron to aid him when he had a dramatic blood loss from
injury. He did not know how to stem catastrophic blood flow or replace the blood when
it did occur.

These early people were plagued by a whole entourage of external pests. These included
fleas, tics, biting flies, mosquitoes and even bates. While at the same time they had many
internal parasites. Even today it is reported by the World Health Organization that 20%
of the world's population has hook worm. Then too, in present day, the malaria parasite
is one of the chief killers in the world.

In antique medicine a type of head surgery called trepanni was performed. It is the excising
of a small disk of bone from the skull. This was probably an early headache cure. Of
course, with any cutting into the head there will be profuse bleeding. This is in the history
of the Aztec and Maya. This procedure is still practiced in bush medicine today by the
Bantu of Africa.

So man has been prepared for a rougher lifestyle with an avidity for iron. The genetics that
set up iron overload are wide ranging and appear in all populations and even other species.

Man Is Not Alone in this Situation

Animals in captivity have a tendency to develop hemochromatosis while those of the same
species in the wild are naturally protected. This has been found true of lemurs, chimps,
parrots, chickens, horses, dogs, cattle and hummingbirds. The domestic living situation sets
up the problem. Two main factors help us understand the phenomenon.

The first factor is that the diet of these captive animals is rich in iron. The myth that you
can never have too much iron has spilled over into the pet food industry. Pet foods are
routinely over fortified with iron. Lemurs for instance have in their wild diet a fruit called
tamarind. It is replete with dark tannins that block the absorption of iron in the gut. This
fruit was not available to them in the zoo setting but there was an iron supplemented monkey
chow. So the San Diego Zoo discovered hemochromatosis in their lemurs in 1992. Some
years later in an Arizona Zoo all of the hummingbirds were found dead at the bottom of the
cage. This happened overnight. The culprit turned out to be too much iron in their daily feed.

The second factor is that while seeking comfort for ourselves and our animals we have created
an artificial environment. This is one that disrupts the genetic programming for our response
to pests and parasites. Yes, this includes house pets, though I do not know about cats.

Modern Need for Ferritin

So ferritin is drawn down naturally for early man and even in present day animals in the wild.
In our protected hot-house environment we have learned to avoid daily blood loss. We
also live with the many myths of iron. Couple this with the general neglect of the medical
community and you have the modern epidemic of iron overload.

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With subject suggestion for future newsletters contact the new editor: Steve Barfield at 561-586-8246

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