Martínez C, Ros G, Periago M J, López G
Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, España.
Arch Latinoam Nutr. 1999 Jun;49(2):106-13.
The nutritional need for iron in living organisms is derived from the central role that it plays in the energy metabolism of living cells. However, iron exists in almost exclusively in the less soluble oxidised state (Fe III). This has greatly reduce its accessibility. Iron in foods exist in two main forms: haem iron and non-haem iron, which are absorbed by different pathways with different degrees of efficiency depending upon dietary and physiological factors. All these factors increase or reduce the proportion of the total iron in a food or diet that is utilised for metabolism, that is iron bioavailability. Iron deficiency leads to anaemia, one of the most common nutritional deficiency disorders in the world both in industrialised and developing countries. Preventing this illness is based on a gradual growth in our understanding of iron nutrition.
生物体对铁的营养需求源于其在活细胞能量代谢中所起的核心作用。然而，铁几乎完全以较难溶解的氧化态（Fe III）存在。这大大降低了其可利用性。食物中的铁主要以两种形式存在：血红素铁和非血红素铁，它们通过不同途径被吸收，吸收效率因饮食和生理因素而异。所有这些因素都会增加或降低食物或饮食中用于代谢的总铁比例，即铁的生物利用率。缺铁会导致贫血，这是工业化国家和发展中国家中世界上最常见的营养缺乏症之一。预防这种疾病的基础是我们对铁营养的认识逐步提高。
