Iron status in the elderly
Open accessAbstract
Iron deficiency anaemia is prevalent in older age, particularly after the age of 80. Serum ferritin concentrations also decline, although there is no evidence to suggest that changes in iron stores are an inevitable consequence of ageing. Chronic inflammation is a common condition in older people, making the measurement of iron status difficult, and it is likely that elevated levels of circulating hepcidin are responsible for changes in iron metabolism that result in systemic iron depletion. Other contributory factors are poor diet and some medications, such as aspirin. Anaemia in older age has undesirable health outcomes, including increased susceptibility to falling and depression. However, there are concerns about possible adverse effects of iron supplements, either in relation to pro-inflammatory effects in the gut or inappropriate tissue iron deposition. Brain iron levels are increased with age-related degenerative diseases, but it is not known if this is the cause or a consequence of the disease, and genetic factors are likely to play a role. In order to maintain body iron within the normal range a personalised approach is required, taking into account all of the factors that may affect iron metabolism and the available strategies for preventing iron deficiency or overload.
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Age-dependent accumulation of iron in various tissues occurs separately to the enrichment of senescent cells.
“Age-dependent accumulation of iron in various tissues has been reported to occur separately to the enrichment of senescent cells [11], [12], [16], [17], [18], [19].”
From Iron accumulation in senescent cells is coupled with impaired ferritinophagy and inhibition of ferroptosis (2018) · cites this paper as [11]
Conceivably, senescent cells account for the increased iron observed in aged tissues and in organs affected by age-related pathologies.
“Conceivably, senescent cells account for the increased iron observed in aged tissues [11], [12] and similarly in organs affected by age-related pathologies [13], [14], [15].”
From Iron accumulation in senescent cells is coupled with impaired ferritinophagy and inhibition of ferroptosis (2018) · cites this paper as [11]
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- Authors
- Fairweather-Tait, S. J., Wawer, A. A., Gillings, R., Jennings, A., & Myint, P. K.
- Affiliations
- University of East Anglia (GB)
- Venue
- Mechanisms of Ageing and Development
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-03
- Volume
- 136-137
- Pages
- 22-28
- ISSN
- 0047-6374 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4157323
- OpenAlex
- W1982386630
- Cited by
- 159
- References
- 68
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 0.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Mechanisms of Ageing and Development (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Aberdeen University Research Archive (Aberdeen University) (submittedVersion)
- Adelaide Research & Scholarship (AR&S) (University of Adelaide) (submittedVersion)
- UEA Digital Repository (University of East Anglia) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Seventh Framework Programme (266486)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Iron Metabolism and Disorders
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neurological diseases and metabolism
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Trace Elements in Health
- Keywords
- iron status, iron deficiency anemia, older adults, serum ferritin, aging, chronic inflammation, hepcidin, iron metabolism, iron supplementation, aspirin, brain iron, iron overload, falls, depression, personalized nutrition
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aging, Brain, Depression, Europe, Female, Humans, Iron, Male, Nutritional Status, Receptors, Transferrin, Multicenter Studies as Topic, Biomarkers, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Anemia, Iron-Deficiency, Dietary Supplements
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