Heart failure: that's why iron helps
Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.
More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.People with a weak heart are severely limited in their quality of life: When exercising, they quickly get short of breath, and even small everyday strains often become too much for them. One simple supplement can improve the condition of many: iron. Now we also know why.
Even a slight iron deficiency has a negative effect on the condition of heart failure patients. Even if there is still no deficiency in the red blood cells. If they receive appropriate iron supplements, the patients feel better, are more resilient and have to go to hospital less often.
Little iron, little oxygen
At first glance, this seems logical: the red blood cells need the trace element in order to bind and transport oxygen with the red blood pigment hemoglobin. Correspondingly, if there is a lack of iron, not enough red blood cells can be formed and there is a lack of oxygen in the body. Therefore, affected people tire quickly and are less physically resilient. But that only partially explained the amazing effect of iron on heart failure patients.
Weakened energy power plants
There's another reason: Iron isn't just important for blood formation. The mitochondria, which sit as tiny energy power plants inside the body cells, also need the trace element. “When there is a lack of iron, the mitochondria can produce less energy. The heart muscle in particular is dependent on a high supply of energy for its pumping function, ”explains Prof. Tibor Kempf from the Hannover Medical School (MHH).
Lack of energy in the heart cells
To investigate the effects of iron deficiency on heart muscle cells, an MHH team switched off certain proteins in heart muscle cells of mice. If the so-called iron regulating proteins (IRP proteins) are inactivated, the cell can absorb less iron. Sufficient quantities of the trace element are then no longer available for vital metabolic processes, and the mitochondria produce less energy.
In fact, the mice manipulated in this way developed an iron deficiency in the heart muscle cells, but not in the blood or other organs. The animals were not noticed when they were at rest, but their hearts could not increase their pumping capacity during physical exertion: the mitochondria did not produce enough energy for the heart muscle.
Replenished stores
When the MHH researchers administered iron to the mice, they were able to replenish their iron stores in the heart. The heart muscle cells then produced sufficient energy and the heart function normalized.
The result shows why it is worthwhile for patients with heart failure to monitor their iron levels. A finding that can now also be found in the relevant guidelines for the treatment of heart failure. It could even be that the addition of iron not only improves the condition of the patients, but also extends their lives. This thesis is currently being tested in clinical studies. A deficiency can also be easily remedied, according to the researchers.
Heart failure is often fatal
Heart failure is one of the most common causes of death in Germany. Heart attacks, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease (CHD) or heart valve defects are the cause of weak heart pumping.
Source: Saba Haddad et al .: Iron-regulatory proteins secure iron availability in cardiomyocytes to prevent heart failure, European Heart Journal, DOI: 10.1093 / eurheartj / ehw333
