how much iron is there really in the body?

[dheep143]

statement 1: Your body contains enough iron to make a spike strong enough to hold your weight.

statement 2: average human body contains enough: iron to make a 3 inch

So which of these statements is true?

i want to know total iron content of body includin hemoglobin and other iron containin enzymes
whether the above statements are true?

I am a medical doctor myself. so no nonsensical answers please...

[Ludovic]

It contains enough iron to make several 3 inches. What the heck is a 3 inch?

[gazpacho]

If wiki is to be beleived you do not have very much iron in your body. about 3 to 4 grams.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_iron_metabolism
Most well-nourished people in industrialized countries have 3-4 grams of iron in their bodies. Of this, about 2.5 g is contained in the hemoglobin needed to carry oxygen through the blood. Another 400 mg is devoted to cellular proteins that use iron for important cellular processes like storing oxygen (myoglobin), or performing energy-producing redox reactions (cytochromes). 3-4 mg circulates through the plasma, bound to transferrin. [5]
A paper clip is about 1 gram. I can unfold a paper clip into about a piece of wire about 3 inches long. So a three inch of iron does not seem out of the question. I can also imagine being able to hang from a 4 gram nail so the first could be true as well.

[Fear Itself]

The average human body contains about 3 grams of iron (http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/article-202929/iron). That's a little heavier than a penny.