Iron Turns on the “Danger” Sensor of the Body, Leading to More Inflammation
Did you know the body has a “danger signal”? It’s called the NLRP3 inflammasome.🚨
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When NLRP3 is turned on, the immune system gets turned on, releasing proteins like cytokines, chemokines and other acute phase proteins that respond to inflammation, damaged or infected tissue, etc.💥
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What turns on NLRP3? Excess iron.🧲
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That’s right. Basically, excess iron can stimulate our immune system and put us in a chronic inflammatory state. This is why iron is such a trigger for autoimmunity (see my “The Root of Autoimmunity?” post).💥
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How does the body deal with iron? It hides it away, because it knows it feeds pathogens like bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc. Iron builds up in our tissues and organs, symptoms get worse and eventually disease hits.😷
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Check out my previous posts for certain nutrients that help us manage iron, the iron recycling system and more.
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This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before pursuing any changes to your personal healthcare regime.
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References
Kelley, N. Jeltema, D. Duan, Y. He, Y. (2019). The NLRP3 Inflammasome: An Overview of Mechanisms of Activation and Regulation. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6651423/#:~:text=The%20NLRP3%20inflammasome%20is%20activated,shown%20to%20trigger%20its%20activation..
Robbins, M. (2017). Iron Toxicity Post #59: A Tale of two irons and the hepcidin peptide that regulates them. Retrieved from: https://therootcauseprotocol.com/iron-toxicity-59-a-tale-of-two-irons-the-hepcidin-peptide-that-regulates-them-causes-chaos-confusion-clinical-conditions-clinical-currency/.
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