Do you also feel tired all the time? Do you feel like you have no energy? Maybe your doctor has looked at a blood report and said "iron deficiency" or "anemia". This is a problem that many people in our country have. So, do you know who controls this essential substance called iron in our body? There is a real "boss" for it. He is called Hepcidin . You may not have even heard of this name. But the work it does to keep our body healthy is no small feat. Let's talk today about this "iron boss" in our body.
Simply put, who is this Hepcidin?
Hepcidin is a hormone produced by our liver and released into the blood. Hormones are like messengers that control every function in our body. So the main job of the messenger called hepcidin is to control how our body uses iron. To be precise, it is he who decides how much iron the body needs, how much it needs to store, and when it needs to use that iron. That is why some people call hepcidin the "Master Iron Regulator".
So why is iron so important to us?
Imagine that there is a delivery service that carries oxygen throughout our bodies. The vehicles of that delivery service are the red blood cells . The person who packs the oxygen inside those vehicles is the protein called hemoglobin . So iron is an essential ingredient to make this hemoglobin. Without iron, hemoglobin cannot be made. Then the red blood cells cannot carry oxygen. That's when we get tired and have trouble breathing.
Not only that, iron is also needed to make the protein myoglobin, which supplies oxygen to our muscles and heart.
Simply put, iron is the heart of the oxygen-carrying system that gives life to our body's cells. So it's very important to keep this iron level in balance. If there is not enough iron, diseases like iron-deficiency anemia develop. If there is too much iron, it can become toxic to our body and damage organs. Maintaining that balance is the main function of hepcidin.
How does hepcidin control this iron?
This is a very amazing process. We get iron from the foods we eat (meat, fish, vegetables, nuts). But unlike other minerals, our bodies don't have a way to excrete excess iron. For example, if we have too much sodium (salt), it will be excreted in the urine. But iron doesn't get excreted that easily.
Therefore, it refers to the storage of excess iron for later use. This iron is mainly stored in our bone marrow , spleen, and liver .
This is where hepcidin comes into play. Hepcidin intervenes in this iron management in three main ways:
1. Controls iron absorption from food: When the food we eat goes into our small intestine, the cells there absorb iron into the blood. Hepcidin determines how much iron is released into the blood and how much is stored.
2. Recycles iron from old red blood cells: The average lifespan of our red blood cells is about 120 days. When that time is up, macrophages , a type of white blood cell (like the body's 'cleaning crew'), destroy these old red blood cells. But when they do, they capture and store the valuable iron in them. So, hepcidin decides whether this stored iron should be given back to the newly formed red blood cells, or whether it should be kept in storage for a while longer.
3. Controls the release of iron stored in places like the liver: Hepcidin is the one that tells the body whether or not to release iron stored in liver cells ( hepatocytes ) and small intestine cells ( enterocytes ) into the blood when needed.
How exactly does this work?
To understand this, we need to know someone else. That person is a protein called ferroportin . Think of it like a storage room in a cell that stores iron. Ferroportin is the "gate that lets iron out" of that storage room. For iron to get into the blood, this gate has to open.
What hepcidin does is control this gate.
- When hepcidin levels in the body increase , hepcidin binds to a gate called ferroportin and closes it. Then, the iron inside the cells cannot enter the blood. Iron absorption decreases.
- When hepcidin levels in the body decrease , the ferroportin gate is not obstructed. So the gate is open . The iron inside the cells easily enters the blood. Iron absorption increases.
What are the causes of changes in hepcidin levels?
Our bodies are very intelligent. They increase or decrease hepcidin levels according to their needs at any given time. There are several key factors that influence this.
| Influencing Factor | Effect on Hepcidin and the Outcome |
|---|---|
| The total amount of iron in the body | If the body's iron levels are high , the body makes more hepcidin. That stops it from absorbing more iron. If the iron levels are low , the body makes less hepcidin. That opens the doors for more iron to be absorbed. |
| Red blood cell production | When the body needs to make a lot of new red blood cells (for example, after a hemorrhage), it needs a lot of iron to make hemoglobin. The body then reduces hepcidin levels. This releases stored iron and helps make new cells. |
| Low oxygen levels (Hypoxia) | When the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues decreases, the body thinks it needs to make more oxygen carriers (red blood cells). Since this requires iron, it lowers hepcidin levels and opens the iron gates. |
| Infection or Inflammation | This is very important. When a germ (e.g. bacteria) enters our body, the germ needs iron to grow. So our intelligent body stops the germ from getting iron. To do this, the body quickly increases the level of hepcidin. Then the iron gates close, and all the iron is hidden inside the cells. The germ becomes weak without iron. |
What happens when hepcidin levels are abnormal?
If this iron regulator's work goes a little wrong, it can lead to big problems. If hepcidin levels are too low, the body will have too much iron (Iron Overload). If hepcidin levels are too high, the body will have too little iron (Iron Deficiency).
| Condition | What happens, simply put? |
|---|---|
| Conditions caused by low hepcidin levels (iron overload) | |
| Hereditary Hemochromatosis | This is a genetic disease. In this case, the liver cannot produce enough hepcidin. As a result, the iron gates (ferroportin) are always open. The body absorbs more iron than it needs and deposits it in organs like the heart, liver, and pancreas, damaging them. |
| Iron-loading anemias | In some types of anemia, there is actually an excess of iron. Defects in the process of making red blood cells reduce the production of hepcidin, which leads to increased iron absorption. |
| Hepatitis C | This virus damages the liver, reducing its ability to produce hepcidin. |
| Type 2 diabetes | Some studies have shown that people with diabetes may have decreased hepcidin levels and increased iron levels. |
| Conditions caused by increased hepcidin levels (iron deficiency) | |
| Anemia of Chronic Disease (ACD) | This is a very common condition. When someone has a long-term illness (e.g. kidney disease, cancer, Crohn's disease), there is constant inflammation in the body. This inflammation causes the body's hepcidin levels to increase . Then the iron gates close. Even though there is iron in the body's stores, they cannot be used. This causes anemia. |
| Chronic infections | Long-term infections can also increase inflammation in the body, increase hepcidin levels, and cause iron deficiency. |
Finally, hepcidin is a very important hormone that is essential for maintaining iron balance in our body. By closing the iron gates and controlling iron, it indirectly controls the production of hemoglobin and red blood cells, as well as the transport of oxygen throughout the body. Hepcidin also protects us from the serious damage that can occur if too much iron enters the body.
Take-Home Message
- Hepcidin is the main hormone produced by our liver that controls iron levels in the body.
- It works by blocking the iron-transporting "gate" called ferroportin. When hepcidin is high, iron absorption decreases, and when hepcidin is low, iron absorption increases.
- Hepcidin levels vary depending on factors such as the body's iron levels, red blood cell needs, oxygen levels, and infections.
- Abnormally low levels of hepcidin can lead to iron overload and organ damage (e.g., hemochromatosis), while abnormally high levels can cause iron deficiency and anemia (e.g., anemia of chronic disease).
- If you have any concerns about persistent fatigue, paleness, or anemia, always consult your doctor before making any decisions on your own . Only a doctor can perform the necessary tests to find the exact cause and provide the right treatment.
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