For decades we, especially women, have been told that we need extra iron for health -that it builds healthy blood. But, recent evidence indicates that iron and copper may be doing more harm than good in most cases. It has been well demonstrated that iron and copper are two of the most powerful generators of free radicals. This is because they catalyze the conversion of hydrogen peroxide into the very powerful and destructive hydroxyl radical. It is this radical that does so much damage to membrane lipids and DNA bases within the cell. It also plays a major role in the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol, leading to heart attacks and strokes.

Males begin to accumulate iron shortly after puberty and by middle age have 1000mg of stored iron in their bodies. Women, by contrast, because of menstruation, have only 300 mg of stored iron. But, after menopause they begin to rapidly accumulate iron so that by middle age they have about 1500 mg of stored iron. It is also known that the brain begins to accumulate iron with aging. Elevated iron levels are seen with all of the neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimers dementia, Parkinsons disease, and ALS. It is thought that this iron triggers free radical production within the areas of the brain destroyed by these diseases. For example, the part of the brain destroyed by Parkinsons disease, the substantia nigra, has very high levels of free iron.

Normally, the body goes to great trouble to make sure all iron and copper in the body is combined to a special protein for transport and storage. But, with several of these diseases, we see a loss of these transport and storage proteins. This is where flavonoids come into play. We know that many of the flavonoids ( especially quercitin, rutin, hesperidin, and naringenin) are strong chelators of iron and copper. In fact, drinking iced tea with a meal can reduce iron absorption by as much as 87%. But, flavonoids in the diet will not make you iron deficient.