iron and heart disease
...on levels due to menses. Whereas men " build-up" iron in the blood, women cleanse themselves of iron buildup on the monthly basis. Meyers (1996) also states that oxidation, the process in which an atom increases its positive charges (Miller and Keane, 1992), of low density lipoprotein cholesterol is important in atherosclerosis, and since oxidation is catalyzed by iron, it has been hypothesized that the lower iron stores of women reduce their risk of CAD through lessened lipid peroxide, a by-product of oxidation. Numerous studies have been conducted to actually see if a relationship between serum iron or serum transferrin, (serum iron concentration divided by total iron-binding capacity), and heart disease or myocardial infarction, (heart attacks) exists. Sempos and Looker, (1994) used a total of 4518 men and women to conduct the first study of its kind on the subject of iron and CAD. Frequent serum iron levels, collected from 1971-74, and followed up through 1987, showed the risk of CAD was not related to serum transferrin levels in white men or women. Indeed, an inverse association of total body iron stores and overall mortality was shown, that is moderate to high serum transferrin associated with lower mortality. In a similar study, 6086 men and 6102 women, who were randomly chosen, were followed for 14 years having frequent serum iron and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) levels drawn. Total Iron Binding Capacity refers to the amount of red bloods cells that are actively bound with iron at any given time. At the end of the study, 739 men and 245 women died from coronary artery disease. It was concluded that there was no relationship between TIBC and coronary mortality observed in men. In women, an inverse although not statistically significant association was found (Reunanen et al, 1995). Sullivan (1996) states that the iron hypothesis, which hypothesizes increased serum iron causes CAD, provides a conceptual tool for study of the mechanisms by which age and gender influence the development of ischemic heart disease. The assumption that age and gender exert unalterable effects has diverted attention from these strong risk factors, and has led to intense preoccupation with weaker risk factors such as cholesterol. Which as he states, "has become a rigid and institutional point of view to determine CAD risk". High iron may indirectly cause damage to coronary arteries due to increased oxidation. Hauenschild et al, (1997) report that the association between nutrition and coronary heart disease is ...