Abstract
Heme constitutes 95% of functional iron in the human body, as well as two-thirds of the average person’s iron intake in developed countries. Hence, a wide range of epidemiological studies have focused on examining the association of dietary heme intake, mainly from red meat, with the risks of common diseases. High heme intake is associated with increased risk of several cancers, including colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and lung cancer. Likewise, the evidence for increased risks of type-2 diabetes and coronary heart disease associated with high heme intake is compelling. Furthermore, recent comparative metabolic and molecular studies of lung cancer cells showed that cancer cells require increased intracellular heme biosynthesis and uptake to meet the increased demand for oxygen-utilizing hemoproteins. Increased levels of hemoproteins in turn lead to intensified oxygen consumption and cellular energy generation, thereby fueling cancer cell progression. Together, both epidemiological and molecular studies support the idea that heme positively impacts cancer progression. However, it is also worth noting that heme deficiency can cause serious diseases in humans, such as anemia, porphyrias, and Alzheimer’s disease. This review attempts to summarize the latest literature in understanding the role of dietary heme intake and heme function in diverse diseases.
Highlights
Proteins are the building blocks of life
Heme should be considered an essential nutrient for humans, historically iron is the primary concern in nutrition studies
Inhibition of heme synthesis or mitochondrial function preferentially suppresses cancer cell proliferation, colony formation and cell migration (Figure 2). These results demonstrated that heme availability is significantly increased in cancer cells and tumors, which leads to elevated production of hemoproteins, resulting in intensified oxygen consumption and cellular energy production for fueling cancer cell progression
Summary
Proteins are the building blocks of life They are the major source of dietary nutrients. Dietary iron is found in two forms, heme and non-heme iron. Heme iron, which is present mainly in meat, poultry and fish, is well absorbed. Non-heme iron, which accounts for the majority of the iron in plants [1], is less well absorbed. More than 95% of functional iron in the human body is in the form of heme [2]. Heme should be considered an essential nutrient for humans, historically iron is the primary concern in nutrition studies. We present the current knowledge of how heme is absorbed in humans and the diseases associated with disturbed heme homeostasis
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