By Bill Sardi
October 13,
2015
It should
not be surprising to learn that the gradual accumulation of iron in the male
body should result in undesirable health consequences. After full
childhood growth is achieved males accumulate 1 milligram of excess iron per
day, which is largely stored in the liver and attached to hemoglobin in red
blood cells. By middle age a male has twice as much stored in in his body
than an equally aged female who menstruates to control iron. The result
is that a male at age 40 has double the risk for diabetes, cancer and heart
disease as female of the same age.
With that
said, as men approach middle age they might be losing sex drive and feel terribly
fatigued. These symptoms
may be due to tired iron-overloaded blood.
Testosterone shots may remedy desire but not deal with the root of the problem.
The
antidote is blood donation, or alternatively blood letting (sometimes called
venesection or phlebotomy). A unit of blood contains ~250 milligrams of
iron. For iron overloaded males, a call to the Red Cross to find out
where the next blood drive is taking place and three or four blood donations
later one’s sex life may reappear.
In one
study, among 20 male blood donors tested, 8 had low testosterone. [Alcohol
Alcoholism 1987]
In a search
of published medical literature, iron depletion via blood donation or
blood-letting has been reported to facilitate resumption of normal sexual
activity since 1979. [Nouvelle Presse Medicale 1979] Though it is obvious
that blood letting was largely practiced through the centuries and reduction of
iron stores via blood-letting must have invigorated impotent males despondent
over their condition long before such cases were reported in medical journals
Low
testosterone is called hypogonadism that produces symptoms such as erectile dysfunction,
inability to ejaculate and reduced sex drive (libido).
These
symptoms are often seen among diabetics who are oblivious to that fact that
both high blood sugar and decline in sex drive are due to iron accumulation. [Journal
Sexual Medicine 2008]
Depletion
of iron from the body usually resolves glucose intolerance and impotence. [Annals New
York Academy Science 1988]
Genetic versus dietary acquired iron
overload
Modern
medicine considers iron overload to be limited to those who have a genetic
induced condition where the body absorbs too much iron, a condition called
hemochromatosis. Another condition that leads to iron overload is
thalassemia, a blood disorder in which the body makes an abnormal form of
hemoglobin (the red pigment that binds to iron in red blood cells).
The Centers
For Disease Control says 1 in 100 to 6 in 100 have hemochromatosis. [CDC.gov] But actually every male is at risk for iron
overload given their diet (red meat) and health habits (alcohol intake) which
hasten its symptoms.
Total body
iron load normally ranges from 2500 milligrams in females to 3500 milligrams in
males but may increase to 50,000 milligrams! Symptoms rarely appear prior
to adulthood because vast amounts of iron are needed to produce new red blood
cells. [Hemochromatosis: Clinical Key] Though in some
instances, once childhood growth ceases (usually ~age 18-20), cases of
hypogonadism have been reported. [Human
Genetics 1983]
All hormones may decline
Iron
overload not only causes sex hormone levels (testosterone) to decline but many
other hormones as well (thyroxin in the thyroid gland, insulin in the pancreas,
hormones in the pituitary gland and adrenal glands). Low testosterone
accompanied by low thyroid should be a major signal that iron overload may be
involved.
Iron overload, age and diet
Symptoms of
iron overload usually appear after age 40 in males and later in females as
menstruation ceases. [Hemochromatosis: Clinical Key]
Frankly,
most middle age males are iron overloaded as measured by the iron storage
protein (ferritin) blood test.
The Iron
Disorders Institute suggests the ideal healthy range for ferritin is 25-75
nanograms of iron per milliliter of blood. [Iron Disorders Institute] One study shows that by the
young age of 27 a significant percentage of seemingly healthy males may already
have iron (ferritin) levels ranging from 120-200 nanograms per milliliter of
blood. [Journal Pakistan Medical Association 1987]
Ferritin
levels drop considerably after blood donation. [Clinical
Biochemistry 2015] Regular blood donors have ferritin levels about
half that of non-donors. [Nutrition Metabolism Insights 2015] Men who donate
blood three times a year are more likely to achieve lower ferritin levels. [Transfusion
Apheresis Science 2015]
Red meat and iron overload
Since
hypogonadism (low testosterone) is said to affect 40% of men over age 45, a far
greater percentage than predicted by genetic predisposition, it can be said
that gradual iron overload with advancing age and accompanying low testosterone
are largely explained by dietary habits. [Boston College Medical Journal 2011]
Red meat
eaters will have even higher iron storage numbers because iron in red meat
(heme iron) is absorbed whether the body needs it or not. Iron in plant
foods (non-heme iron) is absorbed on an as needed basis. Processed red
meat is even more of a problem in regard to iron overload. [Advances
Nutrition2013]
Alcohol and iron overload
For regular
drinkers of alcohol, iron storage ferritin levels will be predictably even
higher. Heavy drinkers who not yet developed liver cirrhosis typically
exhibit low testosterone levels. [Drug Alcohol
Dependency 1987]
Males who
are considered moderate drinkers (two alcoholic beverages per day) increase
their iron load considerably. An estimated 24 million Americans, mostly
males, consume a lot more alcohol than that. [Washington Post Sept 25, 2014]
If you
regularly consume a glass of beer or wine with your evening meal, considered
moderate consumption by any definition, you would be consuming more alcohol
than 80-90% of Americans. [Slate.com]
Ineffectiveness of iron depletion
among older men
Low
testosterone caused by iron overload needs to be treated with blood donation or
blood-letting as early in life as possible. One report, published in
1993, said there were no accounts of recovery from hypogonadism
(low-testosterone) in men over age 40. [Clinical
Endocrinology 1993]
It has been
reported that men with inherited iron overload (hemochromatosis), with iron
storage numbers (ferritin) above 3000 nanograms per milliliter of blood,
experience a decline in testosterone. However, middle age (age 54 years)
males with much lower ferritin (600-800) and only moderate liver iron stores
(and/or high levels of sex hormone binding protein that controls the
availability of testosterone) who do not have hemochromatosis may also
experience hypogonadism.
In these
cases, blood donation to deplete excess iron may not initially result in a
return to normal testosterone levels. In one study it was necessary
to remove 4 liters of blood to achieve healthy ferritin levels (74
micrograms/liter) and even then, normal testosterone levels were not achieved.
[Pediatric
Endocrinology Review 2008; European
Journal Endocrinology 2011]
There have
been reported cases of males with severe genetic iron overload who have
achieved normal testosterone levels following aggressive blood letting, though
this has largely been limited to younger subjects. [Clinical Endocrinology 1993]
Among males
with inherited iron overload (hemochromatosis), excess iron stores leading to a
decline in testosterone has been reversed via blood removal in males 24, 25, 36
and 37 years of age with restoration of erectile dysfunction. [Deutsche
medizinische Wochenschrift 2000; Fertility
Sterility 2005; European Journal Gastroenterology Hepatology 2001; Journal
Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism 1987]
But it is
much more difficult to restore testosterone to youthful levels among older
adult males.
However,
reversal of hygonadism via blood donation and/or blood- letting has been
documented in males at age 45 and 56 years of age. [Andrologia
1987 and Thyroid
2008]
Chelation therapy
As an
alternative to blood removal, chelation (key-lay-shun) therapy by needle
infusion over 8-10 hours, 5-7 days a week has also been documented to resolve
hypogonadism in a young male. [Journal
Formosan Medical Assn. 2001]
An
alternative to infused iron chelators is oral chelation therapy. Oral chelation
therapy (deferiprone) facilitates excretion of excess iron from the body in
urine flow and is less tedious and traumatic and patients are more compliant to
this therapy. Oral chelation therapy has largely been confined to use
among patients with thalassemia or blood transfusion iron overload. There
are serious side effects associated with oral chelation drug therapy. [Therapeutic
Advances Hematology 2012]
Natural iron chelators
Natural
iron chelators have been proposed as alternatives to synthetic chelation drug
therapy. Molecules such as quercetin (found naturally in onion, red apple
peel), curcumin (turmeric spice), pine bark extract, ferulic acid (rice bran),
grape seed extract, green tea extract (EGCG), and phytic acid IP6 (rice bran),
which are also available as dietary supplements, are proposed as safe and
effective approaches to iron overload. [Future
Medicinal Chemistry 2009]
Phytic acid
(or phytate, aka inositol hexaphosphate or IP6) is on a list of safe iron
chelators published by the Food & Drug Administration. [Environmental
Molecular Mutagenesis 2001] Phytic acid (labeled IP6 in health food
stores) is widely available, affordable and considerably underutilized.
It works similarly to oral chelating drugs with far less side effects. Up
to about 1500 milligrams of IP6 can be absorbed at a time. [Anticancer
Research 2005]
Use of
natural chelators promotes daily prevention rather than repeated treatment.
Reliance upon the ferritin test
In states
of chronic inflammation, infection or malignancy, high ferritin levels may not
indicate iron overload but rather the body’s attempt to withhold iron from
pathogenic germs or tumor cells that is used for their growth. In this
instance, ferritin levels are high but the patient is anemic (lacks
bioavailable iron needed to make red blood cells).
It is
important to discern whether a high ferritin level truly indicates iron
overload or not. In cases of anemia of chronic disease, hemoglobin levels
generally do not drop excessively and the total iron binding test, an indirect
measure of how much iron is being transferred around the body, is usually
low. The Iron Disorders Institute provides further interpretive
information about the ferritin test. A consultation with a hematologist
may be required for proper interpretation of a ferritin test. [Iron
Disorders Institute]
Vitamin D: Another way to boost
testosterone
An
association has been made between adult onset diabetes with accompanying
hypogonadism (low testosterone) and vitamin D deficiency. [Journal
Sexual Medicine 2014]
In one
published report more than 20% of males with low vitamin D levels had low
testosterone. Males with low vitamin D levels are 5 times more likely to
have low testosterone compared to males with high vitamin D blood
concentrations ranging from 82 to 102 nanomoles per liter of blood (32.0 to
40.8 nanograms per milliliter). [Andrology
2014]
Some
studies fail to show that vitamin D supplementation raises testosterone levels,
but these studies typically utilize very low doses of vitamin D, not enough to
achieve desired blood levels. [Substance
Abuse Rehabilitation 2014; Clinical
Endocrinology 2015]
The Vitamin
D Council says more than 10,000 units of supplemental vitamin D3 daily to
achieve the desired blood concentration. [Vitamin D Council]
Boron: Another natural testosterone
booster
Boron may
be another dietary supplement that boosts testosterone. Supplementation
with 10 milligrams every other day has been reported to raise testosterone
levels significantly. [Journal
Trace Element Medicine Biology 2011]
Don’t let
rusty blood deprive you of the prime of your life. Spend your money on
flowers for your bedmate instead of Viagra. Donate blood, limit red meat,
back away from alcohol, utilize natural iron chelators, and you will spend more
time in the bedroom than the doctor’s office.
Bill Sardi
[send him mail] is a frequent writer on
health and political topics. His health writings can be found at www.naturalhealthlibrarian.com.
His latest book is Downsizing
Your Body.
Copyright ©
2015 Bill Sardi Word of Knowledge Agency, San Dimas, California. This article
has been written exclusively for www.LewRockwell.com
and other parties who wish to refer to it should link rather than post at other
URLs.
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