Well, technically you're both correct.
Think of it this way. Insoluble metals like iron are toxic in the human body. To manage iron, your body converts it to a soluble salt of iron. Once iron forms a soluble salt, ferritin (a protein) keeps the iron in this soluble form. Ferritin is like a zip lock bag that keeps the iron in this form and it acts as a transporter that moves the iron around in the cell.
When you combine ferritin and soluble iron salts, you get hemosiderin. Hemosiderin can be used to store iron in tissues like the liver and kidney.
Contrary to popular belief, men seldom need iron supplements. We get plenty of iron from our diets and our bodies have adapted quite well to recycle iron and reclaim/recycle it from red blood cells. Unless you have blood loss (or your menstruate), you don't lose a lot of iron and you don't need iron supplements.
Hemochromatosis is a mutation that results in increased absorption of iron in the intestine. Because there's more iron entering the body than the body needs, your body begins to form hemosiderin and store it in tissue. When it gets completely out of control, it begins to damage the tissue which is why liver enzymes can be elevated in people with hemochromatosis.
The mutation is rare worldwide but because it is more prevalent in northern europeans (particular the Irish), about 10-15% of people in the US, Australia and Ireland have the mutation. It's recessive, so it causes hemochromatosis and hemosiderosis in less than 1% of the population.
. This was a traumatic experience for me.
