The body’s resident bacteria play a major role in divvying out iron—a fact that could be used to treat iron-related disorders.

Iron plays a critical role in providing oxygen to the body’s cells. Too little iron can lead to iron deficiency anemia and symptoms such as fatigue, heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Too much can lead to iron overload and a disease called hemochromatosis, which can cause heart failure.

Michigan Medicine researchers have unlocked a mechanism behind how the body decides whether or not to absorb iron from the food--one that involves the trillions of bacteria in our guts known as the gut microbiome.

For more information about this story visit: https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/lab-report/gut-microbiome-puts-brakes-on-iron-absorption

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