Pediatric Oncology, Hematology & Immunology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Translational Lung Research Center Heidelberg, Member of the German Center for Lung Research, Heidelberg, Germany.
J Appl Physiol (1985). 2020 Oct 1;129(4):920-925. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00019.2020. Epub 2020 Aug 27.
Residents at high altitude cope with decreasing inspiratory oxygen partial pressure by stimulating erythropoiesis. The increase in hemoglobin levels requires high amounts of additional iron supplied from the diet. Here, we review available data on how iron metabolism adapts when living in a hypoxic environment. Our analysis reveals that long-term adaptation to high altitude enables healthy individuals to maintain their iron stores within the physiological range despite elevated requirements for erythropoiesis. However, in vulnerable populations with increased iron demand (e.g., pregnant women or exercising individuals), iron stores are less likely to be replenished quickly when living at high altitude. Future studies need to address whether different ethnicities have acquired genetic mechanisms to adapt to the elevated iron demand for erythropoiesis at high altitude.
高海拔地区的居民通过刺激红细胞生成来应对吸入氧气分压的降低。血红蛋白水平的增加需要从饮食中提供大量额外的铁。在这里，我们回顾了关于铁代谢在低氧环境下如何适应的现有数据。我们的分析表明，长期适应高海拔环境使健康个体能够在红细胞生成需求增加的情况下将铁储存维持在生理范围内。然而，在铁需求增加的脆弱人群中（例如孕妇或运动个体），当生活在高海拔地区时，铁储存不太可能迅速得到补充。未来的研究需要解决不同种族是否获得了适应高海拔地区红细胞生成对铁需求增加的遗传机制。
