Heme iron is more efficiently absorbed by the body, but non-heme iron can also be effective if used in conjunction with vitamin C and other dietary sources of heme iron.
Iron is available in a number of over-the-counter supplements (ferrous fumerate, ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, iron dextran) as both heme iron and nonheme iron. Also in some multivitamins.
Sixty percent of the iron found in a hamburger is classified as nonheme iron. Plants contain nonheme exclusively. Meat contains both nonheme and heme iron.
Heme iron is much more absorbable than non-heme iron. Since the iron inanimal-based foods is about 40% heme iron and 60% non-heme iron, animal-basedfoods are good sources of absorbable iron. In contrast, all of the iron found in plantbasedfoods is non-heme iron. Meat, fish, and poultry also contain a special meatfactor that enhances the absorption of non-heme iron. Vitamin C (or ascorbic acid)also enhances the absorption of non-heme iron.
According to the National Institute of Health, orange juice increases the absorption of non-heme iron. Eataing Vitamin C-rich foods will aslo help increase the absorption of iron.
Non-heme iron refers to the form of iron found in plant-based foods and supplements, whereas heme iron is the type found in animal-based foods like meat, fish, and poultry. Non-heme iron is not as easily absorbed by the body as heme iron, so consuming it alongside vitamin C can help enhance its absorption.
Hydrogen bonds:)
Heme + globin is Hemoglobin.
Heme is decomposed into iron and biliverdin
The breakdown product of heme is bilirubin. Bilirubin is produced when heme is broken down in the liver as a part of the normal process of recycling heme from old red blood cells.
Heme iron comes from animal sources, while non-heme iron comes from plant sources, so I believe that because mussels are animals, mussels therefore do contain heme iron. Fish also contains heme iron.
Hemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells that functions to transport oxygen throughout the body. It is composed of a heme group, which contains iron and binds with oxygen, and globin chains, which provide the structure for the heme groups. The interaction between heme and globin allows hemoglobin to efficiently transport oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues.
When heme levels are low, more delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) synthase are produced. Causing larger quantities of heme precursors to be fed into the biosynthesis path producing more heme.