How too much iron can harm your health

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Iron is vital for our survival. It's the key atom in haemoglobin – a protein found in red blood cells, which transport oxygen around our bodies. But too much iron can lead to tissue damage, increasing the risk of liver cancer. Dr Kathryn Robson, from Oxford University’s Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, explains how a genetic mutation can lead to haemochromatosis, where people have too much iron – a health condition that runs in the presenter Dr Andrew Pontzen’s family – and discusses how iron levels can be managed. (Image: Red blood cells, Credit: Getty Images.)