Affiliation(s)
1. Association of Alternative and Preventive Medical Sciences (ASMAP), Casablanca 20250, Morocco
2. Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM) Represented by the Algerian Society of Nutrition and Orthomolecular Medicine (SANMO), Ras El Ma 22005, Algeria
ABSTRACT
Despite its various vital roles in the different body’s
metabolisms, iron may have a hazardous impact on health when it exceeds its
normal values. Iron overload is triggered by many genetic and behavioral
factors. Furthermore, excessive iron levels have also been observed in many
pathologies such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cardiovascular and some
cancerous diseases. This paper describes a set of natural iron chelators as
an effective and a safe orthomolecular approach in chelating iron.
Orthomolecular medicine is based on providing patients with nutritional
supplementation at high doses to treat and prevent diseases. This paper describes
the properties of a set of flavonoids and phenolic acids such as curcumin
and ferulic
acid that can be administered as supplements to patients suffering from iron
overload since they are classified as strong chelators. Those natural
iron chelators’
supplements are mainly extracted from fruits, vegetables, and plants. As
chelators, they are able to bind
effectively to iron, inhibit the production of reactive oxygen species, and
reduce the levels of oxidative stress. They can also play an effective
therapeutic role in the treatment of neurodegenerative, cardiovascular,
diabetic, and cancerous diseases thanks to their iron chelation, antioxidant,
and anti-inflammatory properties.
KEYWORDS
Iron, natural iron chelators, iron
overload, flavonoids,
phenolic
acids, neurodegenerative diseases, cancerous diseases,
orthomolecular medicine.
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References