Hello is anyone able to interpret my latest iron panel result? I have been supplementing with 150mg of iron bisglycinate and 1 ferrous fumarate tablet daily before this test (stopped 1 week before). With iron of 74% through range is this too high or can I continue? My ferritin result is only 54 (or 66 if you go by medichecks) and I was trying to increase it.
I also tested selenium which was 133 ug/L (53-105) - based on me just eating brazil nuts - so it was pretty high. Will maybe reduce how many brazils i have.
Other tests I had:
Active B12 187 pmol/L (25.1-165)
Endomysial antibodies - negative
Gastric parietal cell antibodies - negative
Calcium 2.39 mmol/L (2.20-6.60)
Serum zinc 33.4 umol/L (9.6-20.5)
I got my thyroid tested too, results in previous post:
Serum iron: 55 to 70% of the range, higher end for men - as yours is 74% then it's on the higher side and you wouldn't need to take iron tablets, it will only take your level higher.
Saturation: optimal is 35 to 45%, higher end for men - at 36% yours is OK.
Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC): Low in range indicates lack of capacity for additional iron, High in range indicates body's need for supplemental iron - at 48% yours is nicely mid-range
Ferritin: I would now just use iron rich foods which should raise this and hopefully not raise the rest of your iron panel (it doesn't with me and I eat liver weekly). Liver (no more than 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content), liver pate, black pudding and other iron rich foods: apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...
High results are rarely seen as excess zinc can be excreted in the urine/faeces. Excessive supplementation of zinc can be toxic to the kidneys. Symptoms of zinc toxicity include nausea, vomiting, lethargy and drowsiness.
I suppose you could ask yourGP about this as you don't supplement.
Selenium is high. Does the packaging on the Brazil nuts show they're grown in selenium rich soil? Maybe stop them for a while. Too much selenium over time can cause the following:
Thank you that is super helpful I wasn’t sure whether to do anything about them or not.
It’s quite nice to have a break in supplementing everything too!
I was taking B12 additional 1500mcg a day on top of igennus super b as nothing was happening before with my levels. My folate is still a bit low so I thought I still want the b complex but I’d stop with the additional tablet snd reduce to 1 x a day of igennus. Think this is okay or will still be over doing it?
Zinc I think I get from eating so many seeds. I eat pumpkin, chia, flax and sesame regularly.
I can reduce this a bit.
The Brazil’s are the super high selenium ones from Sainsbury’s. I will stop for a bit and then only maybe eat 1 a day rather than 3-6
Well it's good to know that the Sainsbury's nuts have so much selenium in them, wish I had a Sainsbury's by me, but I'm a total pig with nuts and I always eat far more than I should if I have the opportunity (and chocolate, cake, biscuits - I can't keep anything in the house as I have no "off" switch 😞 ).
It's good that you're getting so much from your diet. I like seeds too, I put extra sunflower and pumpkin seeds as well as extra nuts in my muesli.
A separate B12 supplement is unlikely to be necessary once B12 hits the 500+ng/L or pg/ml, the amount in a B Complex will be enough. You could continue with your Igennus, 1 tablet gives 200mcg methylfolate and 450mcg methylcobalamin. If you need more methylfolate have a look at Thorne Basic B as I capsule gives 400mcg methylfolate and only 400mcg methylcobalamin.
Thanks that’s a good tip. I’ll try one a day igennus and retest in 3-4 months. I can see what the ferritin and folate are all doing by then too. And if it needs it I can swap to Thorne. Plus can check vitamin D. I was doing huge doses of that and now dropping right back to just 2000iu to see what happens.
Yeah I have pcos so I have to be super careful with carbs and sugar. Otherwise Pow ive eaten all the cakes and biscuits. I just don’t even notice. I did this protocol last year snd it’s helped me to find a way to not crave the sugar so much so that’s been such a life changer. I just also then added in loads of veg and seeds etc to make up for it. And now for breakfast I have the most ridiculous protein shake with all the seeds in ha ha.
And yes you can be most reassured by the selenium content. I don’t have a Sainsbury’s by me but when I go I stock up. Or at least I was doing! They also stock the only sweetcorn in a tin that I like so it always feels exciting to go and replenish my cupboards ha ha. But the check out woman always gives me a strange look with my limited nut and tinned veg shop! Ha
With iron would I be okay to just take a small dose daily rather than worry about liver pate. Or does the higher serum iron really advise against even a small dose. Thinking 1 X 25mg iron bisglycinate. It’s just easier to pop a pill for iron.
I really can't advise on the iron I'm afraid. You're already over the optimal level suggested for a male for serum iron so I'm not comfortable suggesting you take tablets which will likely take it even higher. I have raised my Ferritin by eating liver without it affecting my other iron panel results.
They’re the fair trade ones in the yellow packet. They’re powerful though by the looks of it so you could go for the organic ones which I think are a bit lower
One member has said that M&S Natural Brazil Nuts say "harvested by hand in the Amazon forest and naturally high in selenium".
Also, check out Aldi's "The Foodie Market" Brazil nuts, the packaging is said to show selenium content as 79mcg per 30g serving.
Another one is 'My Garden of Eden' Brazil nuts from Home Bargains.. They say "High in Selenium and high in vitamin E" on the front of the packet and the Nutritional Information says "one serving (25g) gives 63ug of Selenium".
Of the Sainsbury ones it's the Fairtrade which has a much higher selenium content, but the Aldi Foodie Market ones has slightly more than those.
The supplier has confirmed that the nutrient value was taken from the USDA nutritional database .
All this correct,
Many Thanks
Amy
This is the reply from Waitrose. I don’t know the USDA Nutritional database but I assume this is standard food nutrition and unlikely to be so high. Can they have misrepresented it?
Yeah I’ve found the data myself now on USDA. It’s so much higher isnt it. This is where the amount that gets quoted of one Brazil having 96mcg of selenium in, comes from. Does the us have extremely selenium rich soil or something that could explain it!?
So much higher it seems ridiculous - maybe the US gets them from a different part of the amazon. The selenium is because the tree roots go so deep into the soil.
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