Hello all,
Just a quick question.Had lots of bloods done for vitamin levels etc which I am gradually dealing with.Could someone please advise on my latest ferritin levels below and whether I need to supplement.Many thanks.
Ferritin 31...range (12-300)
Your ferritin is low. Try find out what is the reason (heavy periods, or something else). You need more iron, but before supplementing it's good to know why you have iron deficiency. Optimal ferritin level for thyroid function is 90-110 (according to Dr Izabella Wentz)
Twin
Ferritin needs to be at least 70 for thyroid hormone to work, half way through range is recommended but I've also seen 100-130 for females and 150 for males.
Iron is complicated, with such a low level you really need a full blood count and iron panel before knowing whether to supplement with iron tablets.
You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to the high Vit A content.
Hi Seaside Susie,
I had full blood count done alongside vit D, and vit B12 about 2 months ago but they forgot to test ferritin levels hence the delayed result. I got a print out but have mislaid it....brain fog is one of my more troublesome symptoms! I will try and find them and then post so that there is a clearer picture of my levels. Thanks for your reply.
Are you celiac? Maybe test for this too especially if you are symptomatic of the symptoms? I am celiac and had a site iron level of 10 back in January which I have now managed to rise upto 27 it's been slow going but have now been referred to GO as it could be linked to me being celiac, also being referred to Haematology. I did try eating regular lover and iron rich foods but it did not raise mine at all. Good luck.😊
At last I have found my bloods print out.....here are the results, any comments would be extremely helpful.
haemoglobin concentration......136g/l .....range...115-165
total white blood count..............4.7 10*9/Lrange...4.0-11.0
platelet count................................322 10*9/L range.150-450.0
red blood cell count....................4.62 10*12/L range 3.8-5.8
haemotocrit..................................0.420 1/1 range 0.3-0.47
mean cell volume.........................91fl range 84.0-102.0
mean cell haemoglobin level......29.4pg range 28-33.0
mean cell haemoglobin concentration...324 g/l range 300.0-350.0
ferritin............................................31 range 30-300
serum folate level 9.0 ug/l range 3.0-17.0
serum total-hydroxy vitamind D level...50 nmol/l range 24.0-167.0
serum vitamin B12 level............480ng/l range 190.0-800.0
hope these results give sufficient information for comment.
Many thanks.
Twinx60
These are the ones that would indicate iron deficiency anaemia
mean cell volume.........................91fl range 84.0-102.0
mean cell haemoglobin level......29.4pg range 28-33.0
mean cell haemoglobin concentration...324 g/l range 300.0-350.0
None are out of range so that seems to be fine.
In which case, you need an iron panel. These are the optimal levels rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...
Iron is too complicated for me to tell anyone they need to supplement with iron tablets, so eating liver for low ferritin is always the limit of my suggestions.
Folate would be considered OK by your GP, it should be at least half way through range and yours is 42%.
B12 of 480ng/L (which is the same as 480pg/ml), if that was mine I would want to nudge it up. An extract from the book, "Could it be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok:
"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid below 550".
"For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml."
If you supplemented with a good B Complex it could raise both folate and B12. Igennus Super B, at the suggested dose of 2 tablets, would give you 900mcg B12 and 400mcg methylfolate which should help.
Vit D at 50nmol/L needs raising. The Vit D Council recommends a level of 100-150nmol. If you're not already supplementing you could take 5000iu D3 daily for a couple of months then reduce to 5000iu alternate days. Retest after 3 months and when you reach the recommended level then you'll need a maintenance dose which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with City Assays vitamindtest.org.uk/
There are important cofactors needed when taking D3 as recommended by the Vit D Council -
vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...
D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems.
D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds.
Magnesium helps D3 to work and comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds
naturalnews.com/046401_magn...
Check out the other cofactors too.
If you have autoimmune thyroid disease, aka Hashimoto's, as confirmed by raised antibodies, then an oral spray is recommended for best absorption, otherwise D3 softgels such as Doctor's Best are good, best price at the moment seems to be Dolphin Fitness and a good K2-MK7 is Healthy Origins, cheapest place to buy those is BigVits. You'll find those suppliers by Googling.
Thanks so much for all the info, some of which I am doing already. It's such a great help to be able to come to this forum to get expert views from fellow sufferers. It's all a bit of a minefield isn't it but I do like to be as proactive as possible with any health issues I have. Once again, many thanks Seaside Susie.
Hi Rmichelle, thanks for your reply.I have been tested for celiac disease a few times and always comes back negative, but I believe I have an intolerance to gluten, as I always suffer bloating, acid reflux, and other unpleasant symptoms when I eat it. I avoid it as much as possible but am not entirely gluton free.Guess in the thyroid game it's a lot to do with trial and error to find what suits you best.
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