Clin Nutr: Increased iron levels are associated with shorter life expectancy.

26, 2020 (UPI) -- A new study published in Clinical Nutrition suggests that too much iron in your body not only endangers your long-term health, but also shortens your life spanThe study used large-scale genetic data to assess the natural effects of increased iron levels on life expectancyAccording to the researchers, the findings help eliminate the effects of mixed factors such as age, gender or diet, increase the increasingly complex picture of the role of iron in our health, and highlight the risk of elevated iron levelsDipender Gill, of the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, who led the study, said: "We have known for a long time that too much or too little iron in the immune system can have a serious impact on your health, and that effectively modifying iron levels can help many people with other diseasesOur findings build on previous advances to this view, suggesting that people who are genetically inclined to have slightly higher levels of iron in their bodies have a shorter life expectancyAlthough we did not directly study the effects of taking iron supplements, our findings suggest that we need to better understand the health effects of people taking iron supplements to increase iron levels if they don't need themPhoto Source: Double-edged sword iron is used by the body to make red blood cells that carry oxygenMost people without underlying health problems should be able to get enough iron from their dietHowever, breaking this balance can lead to a range of health problems: too little iron can lead to fatigue and impaired immune systems, while excess iron can lead to liver failure, while high doses can be fatalNumerous studies have shown that small changes in iron levels can protect or be harmful to different diseases such as heart disease, stroke and infectionBut scientists still don't know the net effect of different iron levels on life expectancyIn the new study, published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, Dr Gill and Iyas Daghlas from Harvard Medical School used a statistical method called Mendelian Randomization to explore the health effects of increased iron levels -- they used human levels of genetic variation as an indicator of iron levelsResearchers collected genetic data from nearly 49,000 people and found genetic variants associated with iron levelsThey focused on three points in the genome, where a "letter" difference in DNA -- known as single nucleotide polymorphism (a nucleotide polymorphism), can slightly increase or decrease a person's iron contentWhen researchers screened SNPs in a larger database of life expectancy data for more than 1 million people, they found that genetic markers with higher levels of iron were associated with lower life expectancyThe analysis showed that for every standard deviation that the genetic prediction of serum iron was increased from the baseline level, people's life expectancy was reduced by 0.7 yearsIn addition, the results are less likely to be influenced by lifestyle factorsMuch of the work builds on previous studies by Dr Gill that used genetic data to investigate the role of iron in hundreds of diseasesPHOTO SOURCE: A year-long study has revealed a link between high levels of iron and a lower risk of heart diseaseFurther research in 2019 showed that high levels of iron lower the risk of high cholesterol levels and the risk of build-up of arterial fatty substances, but also increased the risk of blood clots and skin infectionsTaken together, these studies create a complex picture of the state of iron in healthThe authors emphasize that, in a broader context, genetic markers do not in themselves indicate a reduction in life expectancy or risk, but rather a tool that studies how iron levels are associated with health, regardless of a complex mix of factors such as diet, economic background or smoking statusThey added that, at a personal level, the findings are not currently suitable for clinical useDr Gill explained: "It is important to put these findings in a specific contextOur analysis is indirect, using genetic data as a proxy indicator of increased iron contentBut its clinical significance is worthy of further study and may be of great significance to the long-term health of the populationMrIyas Daghlas, from Harvard Medical School, said: "These findings are not yet pushed into clinical practice, but they further support the view that people who are not short of iron are less likely to benefit from iron supplements, which may actually be harmful to them." We emphasize that these results do not apply to groups of patients with good reason stoer, such as patients with iron deficiency anemia or heart failure with symptomsReferences: Raised iron levels linked to reduced life bydcyiyas Daghlas et alGenetically gwydd iron status and life dbycy, Clinical Nutrition (2020)DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2020.06.025 Higher iron levels may boost heart health-but yssan sydd.