The Evolutionary Epidemiology of Iron Deficiency

Dr. Katherine Wander

Iron deficiency can affect susceptibility to infectious diseases in complex ways, by limiting iron available to both infectious agents and immune defense. The combination of these effects may result in an optimal iron intake that is inadequate to meet tissue iron needs. This hypothesis has been tested by evaluating associations between iron nutrition and multiple common infectious diseases, with mixed results. These findings can help to illuminate the circumstances in which iron deficiency is likely to decrease (and increase) infectious disease risk. All components of the epidemiologic triangle—host, agent, and environment—are likely to influence the impact of iron deficiency on infectious disease risk. 

Dr. Wander is a biological anthropologist and epidemiologist working at the intersection of human evolutionary biology and health. Much of her research seeks to understand how humans (particularly children) cope with nutritional and infectious disease stress, and how these stresses impact the immune system. She has recently published papers about iron deficiency and infectious disease risk; immune activity in human milk; the impact of gender and kinship on risk for chronic disease; and how genetic adaptations to high altitude may decrease risk for chronic disease among Himalayan-descended populations. She collaborates on research in Tanzania, Nigeria, Bangladesh, China, and Vanuatu.