Explain about the Iron - Micro Minerals?
Iron was a familiar metal even in the ancient civilization. In India, iron implements made their appearance in between 1300-1000 BC and in due course, iron was used in a variety of cookery utensils. The presence of leached iron, especially when acidic foods were cooked in such utensils, was considered to be a significant contributor to dietary iron.
The most important clinical application of iron was described in the 17th century, for treating "chlorosis"- a condition that resulted from severe iron deficiency in adolescent females in whom the dietary iron intake was only 4-3 mg/day as against the average iron content of 8-11 mg/day in normal persons. Major aspects of iron metabolism were elucidated by 1960 and today iron is one of the most investigated minerals in nutrition. Let us read further to understand the importance of iron in maintaining good health. We all associate iron with its presence in blood and that its deficiency results in low haemoglobin levels and hence anaemia. But is iron present only in blood? Of course not. In our subsequent discussion, we will learn about the iron stores in the human body.