Tag: Iron excretion

The human body has no active physiological mechanism for excreting excess iron, with only a small, passive amount—about 1 to 2 milligrams per day—lost through the shedding of cells. This unique aspect of iron metabolism means that the answer to "how long does it take for iron to leave your body?" is complex, depending more on the body's slow, natural turnover and how it's managed in cases of overload, rather than rapid excretion.

The human body has no active physiological mechanism for excreting excess iron; instead, it tightly regulates absorption to prevent toxic accumulation. This makes understanding how excess iron leaves the body crucial, especially for individuals with conditions like hemochromatosis where this regulatory system fails.

Unlike many other minerals, the human body has no specific, regulated mechanism for actively excreting excess iron. This makes understanding the body's natural processes for shedding iron and regulating absorption crucial for answering the question, **how much iron is excreted per day?**.