[Iron deficiency towards the year 2000]

This is a non-comprehensive overview of the latest 50 years about the evolution of iron metabolism and the methodology we currently have for the diagnosis of iron deficiency and its effects on human health. In the 40's iron absorption was determined by chemistry. The amount of iron absorbed was calculated as the difference between dietary iron and excreted iron. The other methods used to measure dietary iron was hemoglobin repletion. In the 70's the measurement of plasmatic ferritin was an important contribution to iron metabolism to assess iron deficiency and iron overload. In the same decade the extrinsic and intrinsic labelled methodology was an important advancement. The 70's and 80's were years where scientists aimed at finding iron absorption inhibitors, namely coffee, calcium, tea, zinc and fiber. The 80's and 90's were characterized for the emerging knowledge an iron absorption from a food, a meal and a complete diet and for the favorable effect of food iron fortification in developing countries. Also for the effect of iron excess in overall health and myocardial infarction in developed countries were studied.