Iron : Nutritional and Physiological Significance The Report of the British Nutrition Foundation’s Task Force

Iron is a key element in nutrition. It has a central role in energy metabolism of living cells and iron deficiency anaemia is one of the world's most common nutritional deficiency diseases. The Iron Task Force is a committee of acknowledged experts in the field of iron biochemistry and metabolism. The members were invited by the British Nutrition Foundation to review the current state of knowledge of the nutritional and physiological significance of this most important element. Iron: Nutritional and physiological significance is a thorough review of the subject by experts. Front Matter....Pages i-x Iron Biochemistry....Pages 1-2 Iron Absorption....Pages 3-12 Dietary Sources and Intakes of Iron....Pages 13-16 Mechanisms of Cellular Iron Homeostasis....Pages 17-22 Measurement of Iron Status....Pages 23-32 Iron as a Pro-Oxidant....Pages 33-41 Iron and Anaemia....Pages 42-49 Iron Overload and Toxicity....Pages 50-53 Effect of Iron on Work Performance and Thermogenesis....Pages 54-57 Iron in Infection and Immunity....Pages 58-64 Iron and Mental and Motor Behaviour in Childhood....Pages 65-78 Iron and Coronary Heart Disease....Pages 79-81 Iron and Cancer....Pages 82-87 Iron, the Brain and Neurodegeneration....Pages 88-92 Iron in Infancy and Childhood....Pages 93-105 Iron in Adolescence....Pages 106-109 Iron and Women in the Reproductive Years....Pages 110-118 Iron Status in Older People....Pages 119-123 Iron Status of Vegetarians....Pages 124-126 Public Health Considerations....Pages 127-130 Conclusions and Suggestions for Future Progress....Pages 131-145 General Conclusions and Recommendations....Pages 146-147 Back Matter....Pages 149-186