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Iron Absorption by Humans from Hemosiderin and Ferritin, Further Studies¹

Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Apartado 1827. Caracas, Venezuela

Iron absorption from hemosiderin and ferritin biosynthetically labeled with radioactive iron has been studied in 61 subjects. The geometrical mean iron absorption from hemosiderin in both normal and iron deficient subjects was 3.4%. Its mean absorption ranged from 1.9% in normal subjects to 4.7% in subjects with moderate iron deficiency and 7.3% in subjects with marked iron deficiency. The iron absorption from hemosiderin was markedly increased when it was administered with ascorbic acid or liver. The absorption of iron from hemosiderin when hemosiderin and wheat were consumed in a meal, was lower than the absorption from wheat. Iron from liver ferritin and liver hemosiderin were less absorbed in this study than that previously reported for liver hemoglobin. The studies presented here support the possibility that ferritin and hemosiderin form an iron pool different from the non-heme pool formed by vegetal iron, egg iron and ferric and ferrous salts.

KEY WORDS: • iron • hemosiderin • ferritin

¹ Supported in part by World Health Organisation and William Waterman Fund.

Manuscript received 7 July 1975.

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