A deficiency of biological available iron in nutrition is one of the most widely occurring aspects of malnutrition.
A prerequisite for iron deficiency is a prolonged negative iron balance which can arise from reduced iron intake, increased demand (growth pregnancy) or excessive loss (hemorrhage).
It ranges in severity from iron depletion, which causes no physiological impairment, to iron deficiency anemia, and can affect mental and motor development.
Iron deficiency causes a failure in ‘haem’ synthesis an since hemoglobin is required for delivery of oxygen to the tissues this leads to anemia and tissue hypoxia.
Anemia does not occur until iron depletion is severe.
Even before oxygen transport and work performance have been compromise as a result of anemia, detrimental changes have been shown to occur with less severe iron depletion.
The consequences, mostly demonstrated in children, include impaired performance in certain cognitive tasks, altered cate-cholamine metabolism, and possible impairment to the immune system.
Iron is importance in the systemic cellular biochemistry, where it is utilized of DNA and protein and is involved as cofactor for numerous enzymes, structural protein and physiological responses.
Many additional effects of iron deficiency have been identified in experimental animal retardation of fetal development in iron deficient pregnant rats, muscle dysfunction in adult animals, and impaired thermogenesis.
Iron deficiency in infants and young children is widespread and has serious consequences for child health. Prevention of iron deficiency should therefore be given high priority.
Iron deficiency
