β-carotene improves iron uptake and overcomes the inhibition by potent inhibitors of iron absorption.

[Hidden49]

I do think beta carotene (when not an excessive amount) can be helpful. I've found beta carotene containing things like orange juice helpful for improving my iron metabolism.

Unabsorbed iron can wreck havoc in our body.

For example 6 months into low Vit A with beef, chicken grains I felt like my gut was literally rotting from all the iron my breath smelt very toxic, I was very pale and sickly looking. It was when I added in beta carotene foods in while eating red meat all the colour came back in my face and I looked much healthier as I was now utilising iron better than before. So I think beta carotene can help improve iron metabolism and also be protective against iron too.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316622143270#:~:text=We%20conclude%20that%20%CE%B2%2Dcarotene,system%20to%20evaluate%20iron%20metabolism.

 

[InChristAlone]

That's strange I was very pale drinking OJ and doing all the Ray Peat stuff. My serum iron was on the high end of normal. My color is finally coming back on the detox diet. Niacin seems to be great for this as well. I think it's the microbes that are the issues. Nathan hatch believes carotene can help a toxic gut situation. And may be it can, but better to work on solving why protein is rotting and producing ammonia and hydrogen sulfide than to keep adding antioxidants. Us slow oxidizers definitely need digestive support.

 

[Hidden49]

That's strange I was very pale drinking OJ and doing all the Ray Peat stuff. My serum iron was on the high end of normal. My color is finally coming back on the detox diet. Niacin seems to be great for this as well. I think it's the microbes that are the issues. Nathan hatch believes carotene can help a toxic gut situation. And may be it can, but better to work on solving why protein is rotting and producing ammonia and hydrogen sulfide than to keep adding antioxidants. Us slow oxidizers definitely need digestive support.

Well the ray peat stuff is like sugar overload so I don't thats going to make most people look good in the long run, sugar causes microbes to multiply like crazy, so unless you have a gut with 0 bad guys which is unlikely, then you are likely feeding the bad microbes (bacteria, yeasts, mold) with all that sugar and then your body shuts off its iron metabolism to protect yourself from feeding them and thats why you become pale. And then people following a ray peat diet are usually sedentary so that sugar isn't getting burned off properly and just feeding yeasts and stuff.

I don't think it's a great idea eating a high red meat (high heme iron) diet without any antioxidants, what's going to protect yourself from all that iron in the long run. It wasn't the protein rotting for me it was the iron causing problems as I didn't have any issues with chicken, it was the iron. I was in some kind of acidosis back then and acid increases iron, so with my iron metabolism not working properly all that unabsorbed iron in an acidic environment was very damaging for me at the time. I don't have the same issues anymore though that was only for a period of a few months.

 

[Kyle970]

@Hidden49 what all did you do that helped this this state you're describing? Just drank oj?

 

[Peater]

what's going to protect yourself from all that iron in the long run

Coffee (?)

 

[Hidden49]

Coffee (?)

Yes coffee is helpful to protect against iron but most Vit A detoxers aren't drinking it as it slows down ALDH

 

[Peater]

Yes coffee is helpful to protect against iron but most Vit A detoxers aren't drinking it as it slows down ALDH

There's probably some mechanism where being low in iron helps ALDH or something anyway. (Completely made up but I wouldn't be surprised...nothing seems to be as definite as thought. A year ago I was making sure to eat liver every month)