This one's for DOE. mikeV
Iron supplements: the quick fix with long-term consequences Anna EO Fisher* and Declan P Naughton*
School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Cockcroft Building,
Moulsecoomb, Brighton, U.K
Nutrition Journal 2004, 3:2
The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at:
nutritionj.com2Open ↗
Received 12 November 2003 Accepted 16 January 2004 Published 16 January 2004
© 2004 Fisher and Naughton; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim
copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this
notice is preserved along with the article's original URL.
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Abstract
Co-supplementation of ferrous salts with vitamin C exacerbates oxidative stress in the
gastrointestinal tract leading to ulceration in healthy individuals, exacerbation of chronic
gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases and can lead to cancer. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen
species (RONS) have been ascribed an important role in oxidative stress. Redox-active metal ions
such as Fe(II) and Cu(I) further activate RONS and thus perpetuate their damaging effects.
Ascorbic acid can exert a pro-oxidant effect by its interaction with metal ions via a number of
established RONS generating systems which are reviewed here. Further studies are required to
examine the detrimental effects of nutraceuticals especially in chronic inflammatory conditions
which co-present with anaemia.