All caused in whole or part by too much iron.
Put into your food by law no less.
http://herbivore.7h.com/diseaselist.html
Let's try this one, atherosclerosis:
http://herbivore.7h.com/atherosclerosis.html
Excess Iron Damages Blood Vessels
Although iron is an essential and important nutrient, excessive levels
can cause significant harm. A new study has shown that excess iron can
cause damage to the endothelium, the inner lining of blood vessels,
boosting a person's chances of developing hardening of the arteries
(atherosclerosis) and heart attack.
The mechanism of action of this effect seems to be that the high iron
levels impede the action of nitric oxide, a chemical released by the
endothelium, which aids in keeping blood vessels relaxed.
According to study lead investigator Dr. Hidehiro Matsuoka of Kurume
Medical School, consuming high amounts of iron over the long term may
increase iron levels in the body. He also said that people should get
regularly tested for high iron levels if they are over 40 and have
other
risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure or
diabetes.
*
Researchers injected 10 healthy volunteers with high doses of iron
(0.7 milligrams per kilogram body weight) and used ultrasound
imaging
to observe arterial wall functioning.
*
The excess iron raised levels of malondialdehyde, a chemical marker
for oxidation, and inhibited normal endothelial function.
* As a separate part of the study, researchers also monitored the
effects of lowering iron blood levels in 10 cigarette smokers and
found that this caused endothelial function to return to normal.
The study also could help to explain why premenopausal women have less
heart disease, since iron is removed from the body each month during
menstruation.
Meeting of the American Heart Association's Council for High Blood
Pressure Research October 2000
________________________________________________________________________________
Article: iron and atherosclerosis.
Proc Natl Sci Counc Repub China B 2000 Oct;24(4):151-5
Iron and atherosclerosis.
Chau LY
Division of Cardiovascular Research, Institute of Biomedical Sciences,
Academia
Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Iron is a vital element in life. However, it may participate in diverse
pathological processes by catalyzing the formation of reactive oxygen
free
radicals. During the past decade, considerable evidence has supported
the role
of oxidative stress in the development of atherosclerosis and related
cardiovascular diseases. The oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
and
lipid is believed to be one of the crucial events leading to plaque
formation in
vasculature. It has been hypothesized that iron-mediated oxidation is
involved
in this process. In favor of this idea, several epidemiological studies
have
shown that the level of body iron stores is positively correlated with
the
incidence of coronary heart disease in human populations. However, some
studies
have yielded conflicting results. Recently, studies conducted in our
laboratory
and others have demonstrated that iron deposition is prominent in human
atherosclerotic lesions. The iron deposits appear to colocalize with
ceroid,
which is an end product of extensively oxidized lipid and protein
complex, in
lesions, providing histological evidence to support the iron
hypothesis.
Additional experiments in animals have further revealed that the
severity of
atherosclerosis can be markedly influenced by iron overload or
deficiency.
Collectively, these data provide a strong pathological basis to support
the
detrimental role of iron in vascular damage and progression of the
disease.
PMID: 11087066, UI: 20537901
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