ABSTRACT
Body iron level is an important characteristic of health status. The impairment of health due to severe iron deficiency has been examined extensively. However, potential dangers of iron excess have not received much attention except in conditions of severe iron overload such as hemochromatosis. The issue is whether moderate elevations in iron stores increase cancer risk. Halliwell and Gutteridge discuss the putative effects of oxygen radicals in variety of disease processes and stress the role of iron. Oxygen radicals can damage Deoxyribonucleic acid extensively by inducing strand breakage and degradation of deoxyribose; they can induce lipid peroxidation, and they may play an important role in carcinogenesis and other disease processes. Iron is effective as such, but may be poor choice because it is also necessary nutrient for the very cells one is attempting to kill. An important question in this age of abundant iron-rich foods is whether moderate elevations in body iron stores lead to long-term consequences such as cancer.
