Elevated transferrin saturation

[DTache]

What does it imply when your transferrin saturation is high but ferritin is still too low?

[ChrisColumbus]

Is your TSAT over 45%? If it is you should stop iron supplementation and go back to your doctor for further investigation: *possible* iron build up in organs

[ChrisColumbus in reply to ChrisColumbus]

Just seen your other post stating 53%: TSAT of 50% is the top of the male normal range, so although a few% of the population do show a higher figure without problem, you should stop any iron supplementation and seek medical advice.

[Munroist]

Transferrin is used to transport iron around the body. If TSAT is over 50% then that capability is reduced along with your body's ability to manage iron and where it is stored. If your ferritin is still low with a high TSAT then a doctor will need to advise.

[WideBody]

Did you stop supplementing at least a week prior to the test? Did you do the test in the morning and fasted?

I have found my TSAT is skewed as soon as I started oral supplements. I take a week off prior to my blood draw and TSAT is still high.

How low was your ferritin?

[notnowdad]

I am not a medical professional. The following suggestions are not medical advice. These are dietary modifications that you can do alongside of working with your doctor. They are based on my close observation of my body’s responses to dietary adjustments. I have looked into the scientific literature for explanations of what I have experienced and assembled the information into a theory of why some people have RLS.

It took me five years of monitoring my diet to distinguish that I could turn my RLS “on and off” by adjusting the oxalate in my diet. It took me three more years to get people to listen to me and duplicate my success. With my guidance dozens, and perhaps hundreds of other people have found relief this way. Ninety to 95% relief is typical for people who have the discipline to take my advice.

Success with a low oxalate diet requires using organic fruits and vegetables because many fresh fruits and vegetables are sprayed with oxalic acid solution as a preservative. For me, it also required avoiding glycine supplements and gelatinous soups and stews (which are rich in glycine) because too much of this amino acid apparently stimulates my liver to overproduce oxalic acid. There are many websites which give guidance on low oxalate diets, only a few of them have caught up with my insight that gelatin raises oxalate levels in the body. And I haven’t found any of these websites that are aware of the application of oxalic acid to fresh produce which is now routinely occurring. You will find on these websites that large doses of vitamin C raise oxalate levels in the body.

After about 6 years of successfully managing my RLS by adhering to a low oxalate diet I experimented with some other dietary modifications which changed me from a person with very severe allergies to pollens and dust mites to being a person without allergies. The regimen requires conscientiously minimizing my exposure to fluoride and avoiding all refined, bleached and deodorized cooking oils made from seeds (corn, soy, canola, etc.) After almost 3 years of this (and much to my surprise) I seem to have almost completely recovered my ability tolerate oxalates and gelatinous foods, and I truly believe I am cured of RLS. However, my current regimen is very difficult for most people to follow. I have an RO filter system to get the fluoride out of my city water, I cook everything from scratch with organic foods (because many pesticides are high in fluoride), I use no canned foods or drinks (because of fluorocarbons in most liners), I don’t eat in restaurants and I don’t use standard non-stick cookware because its toxic fluorocarbon surface contaminates food.

My explanation for why a low oxalate diet works: Oxalate can take the place of carbonate in binding iron to our transferrin for distribution throughout the body. Scientists know that when oxalate replaces carbonate as the binding agent, the iron gets “locked up” and distribution fails. It makes sense to me that this could lead to over saturation of the transferrin.

Scientists also know that failure to properly absorb fats in the small intestine can lead to bile salts getting into the colon where those caustic salts damage the colonic mucosa. That damage to the colonic lining can lead to inappropriate absorption of oxalate through the colon wall. I believe but cannot prove that the refined, bleached and deodorized cooking oils made from seeds, especially the abused oils in the fryers of fast food restaurants, are poorly absorbed and the primary reason for this problem. Coconut oil is the most easily absorbed fat and may have curative properties.

The oxalate issue is exacerbated by the fact that our livers can produce too much oxalic acid which is a normal waste product of liver function. I believe but cannot prove that fluoride, particularly the fluorocarbons in most non-stick cookware (and perhaps can liners), can cause the liver in susceptible people to over produce oxalic acid.

I hopes this helps. A 74 year old male in the US wishes a fellow sufferer the best of luck.