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Iron

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Diet and Human Immune Function

Part of the book series: Nutrition and Health ((NH))

Abstract

Iron is the fourth most abundant element in the world; this points to the general importance of this metal for life. Iron is an essential nutrient for cells because of its role as a cofactor for enzymes in the mitochondrial respiration chain and oxidative phosphorylation, in the citric acid cycle (aconitase), and in DNA synthesis (ribonucleotide reductase). Thus, proliferating organisms and cells have an increased need to acquire a sufficient amount of iron. Moreover, because it is a central component of hemoglobin and myoglobin, iron can reversibly bind and transport molecular oxygen, and, thus, its sufficient supply is a prerequisite for human life and growth (1).

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Authors
  1. Günter Weiss
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nutrition Division, Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Norfolk, UK

    David A. Hughes PhD, RNutr

  2. Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, Surrey, UK

    L. Gail Darlington MD, FRCP

  3. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Parsippany, NJ, USA

    Adrianne Bendich PhD, FACN

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Weiss, G. (2004). Iron. In: Hughes, D.A., Darlington, L.G., Bendich, A. (eds) Diet and Human Immune Function. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-652-2_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-652-2_11

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61737-422-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-652-2

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