So what is the point? Yes, the point is that iron was present.
Bioavailability is a pharmaceutical concept. We take minerals all the time and don't think about it at all. Doctors certainly don't think about it seems to me most of the time!
All the minerals we consume are in ionic form, in one state or another. Iron has more than one ionic state in fact.
What this video offered is an alarming "revelation" that
iron FILINGS were extracted. Filings are SHARP and can cut up tender tissue. So in this regard, the video was "alarming". That's all.
What was shown was that the cereal contained some form of iron. Now if you want to get picky about bioavailability of what type of iron is the MOST bioavailable, here is an article to illustrate that.
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/11/3546.full
There are similar studies showing the same problem with magnesium. Magnesium OXIDE is not really bioavailable, and is used now as a laxative. But in the form of magnesium CHLORIDE it is absorbed by the GI tract and available to be carried in the blood stream to places where it is needed by the many enzymes that perform metabolic living functions for humans.
I tried to find a nutritional label for Total cereal, that listed the type of iron in it and was not able to find one within a reasonable time frame.
I have two types of cereal here, Crispix and Cheerios, and both only list "iron" (and also zinc) as added. But no further information as to the type of iron salt included.
BUT my Zone bars detail what type of iron is in them:
ferrous fumerate
For magnesium the useless magnesium oxide, and for zinc it is zinc oxide, Chromium chloride, Sodium Selenite and Sodium molybdate. All of the minerals of course are listed as ions.
Fumerate:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumaric_acid
This is often used to carry other active ingredients biologically in the body. It is called a chelate.
This article on magnesium explains what "elemental" means:
This is the monograph on magnesium:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium
Quote:
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Oral magnesium supplements combine magnesium with another substance such as a salt. Examples of magnesium supplements include magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate, and magnesium carbonate. Elemental magnesium refers to the amount of magnesium in each compound. Figure 1 compares the amount of elemental magnesium in different types of magnesium supplements [28]. The amount of elemental magnesium in a compound and its bioavailability influence the effectiveness of the magnesium supplement. Bioavailability refers to the amount of magnesium in food, medications, and supplements that is absorbed in the intestines and ultimately available for biological activity in your cells and tissues. Enteric coating (the outer layer of a tablet or capsule that allows it to pass through the stomach and be dissolved in the small intestine) of a magnesium compound can decrease bioavailability [29]. In a study that compared four forms of magnesium preparations, results suggested lower bioavailability of magnesium oxide, with significantly higher and equal absorption and bioavailability of magnesium chloride and magnesium lactate [30]. This supports the belief that both the magnesium content of a dietary supplement and its bioavailability contribute to its ability to restore deficient levels of magnesium.
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For Iron:
Quote:
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Supplemental iron is available in two forms: ferrous and ferric. Ferrous iron salts (ferrous fumarate, ferrous sulfate, and ferrous gluconate) are the best absorbed forms of iron supplements [64]. Elemental iron is the amount of iron in a supplement that is available for absorption. Figure 1 lists the percent elemental iron in these supplements.
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from
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/iron
Check the link and please view the interest bar graph.
So in my mind I wonder why we don't get details on cereal as to what form the iron is in? Seems rather cryptic to me. But I do not think the addition is iron filings.
My Zone bars clearly include the name of the iron type in them. Which is a pharmaceutical grade known to be useful.
My overall impression of these demonstrations is that they were done to alarm people. That emotional response, really is at the heart of the videos. This is how propaganda is disseminated... with alarming techniques to capture peoples' attention.
The black iron precipitate is "dirty looking" and alarming, to most people. But that is how iron powders actually look. And why they turn the stool dark, as a side effect. Iron is not well absorbed and most is eliminated if taken in high concentration as in Iron deficiency treatments medically.
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All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.-- Galileo Galilei
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Weezie looking at petunias 8.25.2017
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