Iron panel results

[Kimkat]

They’re in at last, so now could someone help me with them please. It says they are normal but all I see is 50% or less on the charts.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Kimkat

Optimal iron panel levels according to rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_... are:

Serum iron: 55 to 70% of the range, higher end for men - yours is 95% through the range so is higher than it's recommended. Do you supplement?

Saturation: optimal is 35 to 45%, higher end for men - yours is 44% so again at the higher end.

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 - yours is 69.4% through range

Ferritin: Low level virtually always indicates need for iron supplementation; High level with low serum iron/low saturation indicates inflammation or infection; High level with high serum iron and low TIBC indicates excess iron; Over range with saturation above 45% suggests hemochromatosis - yours is 18.25% through range which is low.

Unsaturated iron-binding capacity (UIBC): This test measures how much transferrin isn’t attached to iron and I don't have any information of what is an optimal level for that.

So your serum iron and saturation are high and don't suggest that you need iron supplementation, but your ferritin is low and you can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, also liver pate, black pudding, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet

apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...

You will need to retest after maybe 3 months and check that it hasn't taken your serum iron and saturation any higher.

[Kimkat in reply to SeasideSusie]

I do supplement, I use Betteryou oral spray, also have a square of 85% dark chocolate a few day’s a week, liver, liver pâté. On the accompanying letter from Thriva GP, it’s says all is normal, so where do I go from here?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Kimkat]

You shouldn't be using the iron spray, it will raise your serum iron and you don't want that.

Go through the list of iron rich foods I linked to and include as many as possible, but no iron supplement.

[Kimkat in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks SsS I’ll do just that. Is there a good list for iron rich food on here?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Kimkat]

I've given you a link above to a list, in my first reply to your opening post in this thread.

[Kimkat in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks so much 🙂

[radd]

Kimkat,

SeasideSusie has given you good info above regarding what each test means.

Basically you have plentiful iron to make red blood cells so are not anaemic but poor stores, so iron could deplete quickly if not replaced. However, you can't supplement or you will take 'free' iron levels too high and this is toxic. I agree that SeasideSusie's suggestion to eat an iron rich diet is the way to go as will replace storage levels at a slow manageable absorbable level.

You will need to retest in 3-4 months to check ferritin stores are building.

[Kimkat in reply to radd]

As above I’ve been eating the odd square of chocolate a few days a week with liver pâté etc, also green veggies, kale, cabbage, spinach etc. We eat a pretty healthy diet to be fair with very few vitamins at the moment. Thanks for the info

[humanbean]

You might find this website of interest :

dailyiron.net/

[helvella Administrator in reply to humanbean]

I so wish there were a general iron/iron deficiency forum here on HU!

[humanbean in reply to helvella]

Yes, that would be very helpful to enormous numbers of sick people not just us. But I've never come across any support groups or charities dedicated to iron deficiency - although I must admit I've never looked.

[Kimkat in reply to humanbean]

Thank you humanbean, I’m just about to drag my butt to the gym, so I’ll have a read when I get back