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Article: Do your genes make you absorb too much iron?
- Article from:
- Agricultural Research
- Article date:
- May 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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You probably know that iron deficiency may lead to anemia. But did you also know that some people absorb too much iron--due to a condition known as hemochromatosis?
Hemochromatosis is an inherited genetic disorder that results in excessive iron absorption and accumulation. Over time, the build-up of iron in vital organs makes people sick and more susceptible to cancer, diabetes, and liver failure.
An estimated 1 of every 200 to 500 people in the United States has genes that can lead to increased iron accumulation, and about 1 percent of those eventually develop symptoms of hemochromatosis. Geneticists characterize these people as "homozygous" because ...