Iron for the Over 65 Crowd

I’ve seen two diametrically opposite personality types in the over 65 crowd. The first type focuses on their aches and pains and believes that age is slowing them down so there’s really no use in trying to figure out why they feel sub-par. People that fall into the second personality type believe they can overcome aches and pains, age doesn’t matter and they are enthusiastic about all that life has to offer. As a dietitian and exercise physiologist, I think everyone will feel better if they are physically active and eat a healthy diet. And oftentimes, elderly people fall short on several nutrients, making their diet, and not necessarily age, the root cause of some of their health issues.

The elderly often take in fewer total calories, protein, vitamins B6 and B12, folic acid, iron and zinc than they need. All of these play critical roles in good health. Iron deficiency anemia, the second most common cause of anemia in the elderly, can make you feel tired, breathless and decrease your ability to focus. Iron deficiency anemia can also decrease immunity leaving you susceptible to infections and illness.

If you feel fatigued or you’re having trouble concentrating, get checked for anemia. There are many causes of anemia in the elderly so your physician will likely run a few different tests to find out what is ailing you. Talk to your physician about all of your symptoms, what medicines (prescription and over the counter) and dietary supplements you are taking. After all, you deserve to feel energetic every day!


References:
Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Mar;79(3):516-21.
J Nutr Health Aging. 2004;8(1):2-6.
J Am Geriatr Soc 1992;40:489-96.

Iron and Your Heart

Are iron supplements bad for your heart? According to media reports from years ago, the answer is yes. In fact, they suggested that taking iron might increase a person’s risk of heart attack based on a study conducted in Finnish males. But, in reality, this study was blown out of proportion. No studies conducted in other populations have come to this conclusion. In fact, some studies have tested this hypothesis by examining iron stores (ferritin) in those with coronary heart disease, comparing them to age and gender matched controls and they found no differences in iron status in those with compared to those without coronary heart disease.

There is however, a relationship between iron and heart functioning. Iron deficiency anemia decreases oxygen delivery to the heart, causing the heart to work harder to pump oxygen to the body. By working harder this increases the likelihood of abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia), which can increase heart attack risk. In addition, a significant percentage of patients with heart failure are anemic. However, IV treatment for iron deficiency in these patients improves symptoms, functional capacity and quality of life.

If you have coronary heart disease, don’t lower the iron in your diet but, if you have questions talk to your physician. Always talk to your physician about all supplements you are taking, the dosage and frequency. Never take any vitamin or mineral in excess of your needs.

References
J Nutr 2008;138:2436-2441.
Ann Epidemiol. 2000 Oct;10(7):441-8.

How Much Iron do You Get from Cooking in a Cast Iron Skillet?

For years I’ve heard that cooking in a cast iron skillet can increase the iron content of your food. And then I realized all the work involved in maintaining an iron skillet. Storing one would be cumbersome, I’d have to season it with some sort of grease (after all, if you aren’t using non-stick pans you have to make the stuff not stick somehow) and it could rust. That’s just a little to high maintenance for a skillet in my opinion. However, I still wondered about the iron content. Does it really make a dent in a person’s diet?

In an effort to find the truth about the iron content in cast iron cooking utensils, I turned to my partner in research, google scholar. Luckily, a typewritten and scanned thesis from 1984 appeared that examined this very topic! After reading through this study I came to a chart that outlined how much the iron content increased if a particular meal was cooked in an iron utensil versus a non-iron utensil.

A few items on this list were not a surprise to me. Stew, chili with meat, applesauce and spaghetti sauce (all of which contained some acidic ingredients) gained a significant amount of iron if cooked in an iron versus non-iron utensil (applesauce was the all time leader in iron gained). However, there were also many surprises to me: scrambled eggs, rice and a white sauce. In fact, eighteen of the twenty foods cooked in iron and non-iron skillets absorbed significantly more iron than when cooked in the non-iron skillet. This study found that foods with a higher moisture content, more acidity and a longer cooking time take up more iron from the iron cookware.

I have to thank Cheryl Eileen Nossaman’s work for finally answering that question I’ve always wondered about. I’m still not going to use iron cookware because I prefer using oil versus grease in my pans. But at least I now know that iron utensils can in fact add iron to one’s diet!