Fig. 5

Several evolutionary and social adaptations support the theory that a low iron state may have evolved to mitigate infection. These include the prevalenve of an IDA phenotype that may have protected against iron dependant pathogens, the excessive mentruation oberved in female human primates, the paucity of iron overload conditions, the selection pressures put in place by agriculture and the domestication of animals which would have exposed early humans to novel pathogens, changes in human diet, as well as the persistance of age old blood letting procedures prescribed in ancient medical therapies for the treatment of febrile illness