Just like thyroid hormones in the blood can be at optimal levels but may not be reaching the cells or may not be absorbed properly by the cells, I wonder if something similar could happen with vitamins and minerals.
Vit. D3 65 (25 - 80)
Vit. B12 1057 (180 - 914)
Folate >20 (4.0 - 19.9)
Ferritin 150 (13 - 148)
Iron (FE) 132.79 (35 - 160)
TIBC 337.1 (227 - 427)
I seem to have gut issues and low stomach acid which lead to malabsorption. I take various supplements. I was off B complex for about 10 days and with an empty stomach for 12 hours when blood was drawn.
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I think there is a theory of what is in the blood not being representative of what is in the cells in some cases. But Lalatoot has a point regarding optimal. The doctors idea of being in range is not necessarily optimal.
I know that Radd is very well versed in iron so I’m sure she will be able to give you some insight.
I found iron a very complex subject and am not in a position to be able to help really. Your ferritin does seem high for someone not supplementing but then this is storage so I will be interested to see other replies. I’m sure humanbean is knowledgeable on this subject too.
Absolutely. Examples are the necessity of tests such as active VitB12 (which measures unbound) & RBC folate which provides info over the RBC’s lifetime, (similar to HbA1c used for average blood glucose info). There are other tests such as MMA & homocysteine that can be used as a collective for better analyse of folate levels but might not be practiced by many GP’s.
Magnesium is notoriously hard to accurately measure. And the amount of VitD2 & D3 in serum blood is so small that a better biomarker is 25-hydroxy vitamin D, (formed in the liver). An iron panel takes in to consideration serum, storage and protein carrier levels to gauge an accurate representation of body saturation, as well as additional inflammation markers should ferritin be raised.
And all biomarkers & uptake are influenced by foods,/drinks gut health & absorption, transport around the body, storage & body fats, metabolism and export/excretion so kidney & liver health, and multiple gene expressions/polymorphisms creating individual variations, ie one persons optimal may not be anothers, and deficiencies may be hidden by none compliance or ignorance of test conditions, ie folate heavy foods such as spinach/legumes just before the test, or inexperienced interpreters, ie elevated ferritin seen as adequate iron levels .
Ferritin is generally used as a marker for iron levels as is like the spill-over when serum levels & transporter protein transferrin is full to protect cells from toxic free iron, but ferritin levels can fluctuate depending upon consumed iron & iron needs, which vary with the menstrual cycle, pregnancy but even day to day depending upon our diet, exercise, etc and unfortunately when other health conditions are present iron mechanisms can go askew.
It is impossible to say if your ferritin levels are raised due to inflammation or even bacteria’s but one would assume not as other inflammatory markers aren't elevated. Your iron serum levels are great and even though you say you only eat heme iron twice a week, remember only a little iron is gained from diet (mainly heme but also plants with Vit C, etc) as most is found in haemoglobin (RBC's) and myoglobin (muscle cells).
However, it is true some people are genetically made for high level absorption (& possibly impaired excretion). I have haemochromotosis and so absorb huge amounts! The only way to see if your ferritin level is going to continue to rise is to retest with a full iron panel in 4-6 months. You haven't included transferrin saturation in the results posted above but the markers for haemochromotosis are elevated ferritin coupled with high T/S.
If I understood correctly, "Transferrin saturation (TS), measured as a percentage, is the value of serum iron divided by the total iron-binding capacity of the available transferrin." My serum iron was 132.79 and TIBC was 337.1. So 132.79 / 337.1 = 0.3939, which is about 39 %. Is that OK?
It is measuring the transferrin saturated with iron being transported to tissues, organs, bone marrow, etc & then how much capacity is left to bind iron and move to appropriate sites (such as containment in ferritin.
39% is fine. Anything above 45% should be further monitored.
Probably autoimmune issues, common in women. Systemic low grade inflammation probably responsible. How to address that?No alcohol, it's systemically inflammatory. Keffir full of probiotics to rebalanced gut flora, imbalance causes gut inflammation. Low histamine diet ( Google it) so diet stops driving inflammation. Keep a good supplement regimen but support it with a mostly plant based diet minus grains getting carbs from roots and beans, lots of fat via olive oil, start on 750mg GABA, conclusive research to dial down inflammation and address gut inflammation issues (Piping Rock inexpensive supplement company).
After 4weeks on this diet you will feel amazing and wonder why all doctors do not have this on a patient information sheet to give to many patients who present with disease of inflammatory origin... the diseases of which are long from gut issues to RA and even some cancers (,colorectal etc).
Thank you for your response Karelski. I don't drink alcohol, I do drink 2 glasses of home-made coconut milk kefir daily, I do eat a low histamine diet (mostly), I do eat a mostly plant based diet, I avoid all grains except buckwheat and quinoa, I don't eat sugar, but I don't take GABA. My inflammation markers were fine. It's so confusing!
What markers were taken? CRP? IL6, IL8, IL11 are better as well as others but can be very specialist needing to see immunologist. At thus time in UK that means private. Dr Tina Peters is good with women's health and low level systemic inflammation.
Buckwheat is pro inflammatory, drop it. No gluten but other compounds! Your GP has little resources or knowledge to carry out what's needed to get to the root of your problem, as they font study MACS or nutritional medicine.
Could even be sub- clinical deficiencies but having high plant diet should help, that plus low carb so that bad gut flora don't get a chance to proliferate and GABA wil help gut and raise mental well being as it raises brain GABA levels. Dr Tina Peers is well versed in detecting and dealing with women's health along these lines.
High Serum Ferritin results are a common finding in primary care. Because ferritin is an
acute phase reactant this is usually due to inflammation, malignancy or liver disease. It can
less commonly be associated with iron overload.
Your CRP and ESR would suggest that you don't have a high degree of inflammation.
I cannot comment on the chances of you having a malignancy, I'm not a doctor.
Liver disease is a possibility if you
a) drink a lot of alcohol or a lot of sugary soft drinks
b) eat a diet high in sugar and carbs
c) and of course there must be plenty of other types of liver disease e.g. hepatitis
and you could overcome this (a and b, but not c) by altering your sugar and carb intake and improving your diet.
Iron overload in someone who doesn't supplement could be a genetic problem. And the fact that you had good iron levels while eating a vegan diet is a surprising result.
You could investigate haemochromatosis and iron overload on this website :
Please note that in reality doctors usually pay little attention to ferritin levels until they are very high e.g. over 800 - 1000, even if they should be paying attention much earlier. So your ferritin being just a smidgen over top of range would be dismissed as of no importance, particularly since your iron and your Total Iron Binding Capacity are well within range.
Your best bet would be to monitor your iron levels by having an iron panel done privately every 6 - 12 months.
If you live in the UK you can get one done with Medichecks :
If you don't live in the UK then try and get an iron panel done that includes ferritin, iron, and transferrin saturation percentage (sometimes referred to as Tsat).
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