Final answer:
Iron overload increases the risk of infections as it leads to an iron-rich environment that favors the growth of certain bacteria, challenging the immune system and undermining nutritional immunity.
Step-by-step explanation:
People with iron overload are at increased risk for infections because iron-rich blood favors the growth of certain bacteria. Bacteria require iron for replication and growth, and when iron is abundant, it can facilitate bacterial infections. This condition occurs in disorders such as Idiopathic haemochromatosis or secondary to conditions where there is excessive entry of exogenous iron into the body.
Pathogens like bacteria can thrive in this iron-rich environment, leading to a situation where the immune system is challenged by more abundant phagocytes. Nutritional immunity is a defense mechanism of the body where the liver withholds iron from the blood during infection to limit bacterial growth. However, in the case of iron overload, this mechanism is undermined, allowing bacteria to multiply unchecked.