Iron absorption in the thalassemia syndromes and its inhibition by tea

Journal Article · Thu Jan 04 04:00:00 EST 1979 · New Engl. J. Med.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM197901043000102· OSTI ID:5883500

de Alarcon, P A; Donovan, M E; Forbes, G B; Landaw, S A; Stockman, III, J A

To determine the hemoglobin concentration at which iron absorption is minimal, five subjects with thalassemia major and one with thalassemia intermedia underwent a series of iron-absorption studies. The effect of tea as an inhibitor of non-heme iron absorption was also tested. Iron absorption increased as the hemoglobin concentration decreased, although iron absorption was much higher at any given hemoglobin level in the subject with thalassemia intermedia. In the subjects with thalassemia major, iron absorption averaged 10% at hemoglobin concentrations between 9 and 10 and 2.7 per cent between 11 and 13 g per deciliter. The percentage of iron absorbed could be accurately predicted from the nucleated red-cell count (r = 0.91, P < 0.001). Tea produced a 41 to 95% inhibition of iron absorption. Since patients with thalassemia intermedia may absorb a large percentage of dietary iron, inhibitors of iron absorption, such as tea, may be useful in their management.

• Research Organization: State Univ. of New York, Syracuse
• OSTI ID: 5883500
• Journal Information: New Engl. J. Med.; (United States), Journal Name: New Engl. J. Med.; (United States) Vol. 300; ISSN NEJMA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550600* -- Medicine
551000 -- Physiological Systems
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ANEMIAS
ANIMALS
BEVERAGES
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
DISEASES
ELEMENTS
FOOD
GLOBIN
HEMIC DISEASES
HEMOGLOBIN
HETEROCYCLIC ACIDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
INHIBITION
INTESTINAL ABSORPTION
IRON
LEAVES
MAMMALS
MAN
METALS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PIGMENTS
PORPHYRINS
PRIMATES
PROTEINS
SYMPTOMS
TEA LEAVES
THALASSEMIA
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
UPTAKE
VERTEBRATES