How to deal with low ferritin

[Angie10116]

My ferritin is around 42 I think, (low range) and I’m wondering how to supplement that. I had a full iron panel done and it all came back okay. It’s just the ferritin that’s low. Thanks

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Angie10116

Can you post the results of your iron panel please. OK just means they're somewhere in range.

[Angie10116 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Of course, just added it

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Angie10116]

OK, so no iron deficiency, just low ferritin so you can't take iron tablets as this will take your serum iron over range and too much iron is as bad as too little.

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

bda.uk.com/resource/iron-ri...

everydayhealth.com/pictures...

It might be a long haul, it has been with me.

[Angie10116 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you very much for your help! So it’s all in the foods? And no supplements needed?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Angie10116]

That's right.

Optimal levels for an iron panel are

Serum iron: 55 to 70% of the range, higher end for men - yours is 70% so you don't want to take it any higher.

Saturation: optimal is 35 to 45%, higher end for men - yours is just short of that but not low enough to worry about considering your serum iron level.

Transferrin: Low in range indicates lack of capacity for additional iron, High in range indicates body's need for supplemental iron - yours is a touch above mid range so not high enough to suggest supplements.

[Angie10116 in reply to SeasideSusie]

You’re so knowledgeable! Thank you so much for exposing that to me. I’ll start eating more liver for sure! Thank you

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Angie10116]

Not really, I just read up on what has affected me personally and iron is one of them. I had to learn to like liver because I was basically just a chicken/fish/no red meat person and liver is still just about the only "red" meat I've added, it's taken a long time but most recent test for ferritin looks reasonable, other iron results have always been good, just low ferritin.

[Angie10116 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Well it’s great that you’re educating people because a lot of us are clueless. Very helpful to speak with someone who’s been there and knowing what works for them. Yeah liver is one of those foods that you either hate or love. Thankfully I don’t mind it, but I don’t eat enough

[pennyannie in reply to Angie10116]

Asda - frozen chicken livers - 1 tub a week :

Defrost and fry in a little olive oil for around 8 minutes - whizz down into a pate and store in fridge in an old jam jar.

Take a spoonful a day, and with a dollop of Hellman's this helps this medicine go down, and your ferritin creep up the range.

I now find I feel at my best when my ferritin is maintained at around 100 :

[Angie10116 in reply to pennyannie]

Thank you. So supplements won’t help it?

[pennyannie in reply to Angie10116]

Yes you can take supplements - I took several different supplements when my ferritin was down at 22 - but your result isn't as dire as mine .

I found the iron supplements prescribed too harsh on my stomach :

I wasn't offered an alternative so this was when I had to start sorting things out for myself.

I purchased Solgar Gentle Iron but any iron bisglycinate will do :

I also took Spatone Liquid Iron sachets and ate liver twice a week :

It took time - and now I just need to supplement with the chicken livers which are very clean and mild to taste.

[Angie10116 in reply to pennyannie]

Lovely thank you very much!

[CornishChick in reply to SeasideSusie]

SeasideSusie Do you have a suggestion please for people who don’t like liver? Is it okay per Pennyannie’s suggestion below to take iron bisglycinate for low ferritin?

I can’t face livers or pate any longer and my ferritin has dropped. Would Slowdragons other suggestions of pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate be sufficient please?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to CornishChick]

Iron rich foods listed here:

bda.uk.com/resource/iron-ri...

everydayhealth.com/pictures...

Is it okay per Pennyannie’s suggestion below to take iron bisglycinate for low ferritin?

It depends on the result of a full iron panel. If your serum iron/saturation are already at good levels then taking iron supplements pushes those up further and too much iron is toxic.

[CornishChick in reply to SeasideSusie]

Many thanks. That’s what I thought, as per the original post, stating iron panel okay but ferritin low.