[Iron supplement to blood donors. II. Effect of continuous iron supply].
Seventeen conscripts gave blood every second month, the amount representing an average iron loss of 3.5 mg daily. Seven of them were given 20 mg and ten 100 mg iron as ferrous carbonate once daily throughout the study. Before the first and after the fourth and sixth blood donations they were examined with regard to packed red cell volume, serum iron, total iron-binding capacity and stainable bone marrow iron, and a diagnostic iron absoprtion test was performed. Ten conscripts receiving no iron and giving no blood but comparable to those in the test groups with regard to age, exercise and diet served as controls. The stainable bone marrow iron was found to become stabilized at a level with reduced but still perceptible amounts when 20 mg iron was given, and at a level with somewhat greater amounts when the daily dose was 100 mg. Both levels were lower than before blood donation in most subjects, and the negative iron balance was also reflected in the diagnostic iron absorption test. When a healthy person loses 3.5 mg iron daily, supplementation with a 100 mg tablet per day is therefore insufficient to maintain the iron stores at their previous level. The decrease in storage iron is not progressive, however. When the storage iron is reduced, iron absorption seems to be stimulated sufficiently to establish a balance at a reduced storage iron level.
D000042:Absorption; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism; D005243:Feces / Q000032:analysis; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors
D007501:Iron