Iron panel now in

[Souzy]

Hi all

I wonder if you could give me some advice on my iron panel from medichecks. All are within range but the ferritin is low and the transferrin saturation is very low

Iron Status

Iron 13.7 umol/L (Range: 5.8 - 34.5)

TIBC 66.3 umol/L (Range: 45 - 81)

UIBC 52.6 umol/L (Range: 24.2 - 70.1)

Transferrin Saturation 20.6 % (Range: 20 - 50)

Ferritin 38.3 ug/L (Range: 13 - 150)

Historically my ferritin has always been low (I've been vegetarian for 35 years but was low iron prior to this too), I've had heavy periods, no periods due to depo injections and now am now post menopause. I've only ever been prescribed iron tablets once after the birth of my first child for about 6 months (from memory). I started taking a multivit after I could no longer donate blood because my iron was still within range but too low for them to take a pint of it! I stopped taking the multivit when my Vit D was insufficient and replaced it with a vit D & K spray, magnesium, a B complex (which I was supposed to stop taking 2 days prior to the blood test but forgot - doh but I only take a third of the highest dose of 1-3 tabs daily) and I want to add in an iron supplement.

I'll retake the test in 3 months after supplementation, but what iron is the best and when to take it?

Thanks all.

ETA in case it's useful too

Inflammation

CRP HS <0.3 mg/L (Range: 0 - 5)

[Jazzw]

SeasideSusie posted this link the other day which might be helpful: rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...

I’m no expert on iron supplements but the iron content in a multivit is never going to be enough to raise levels (multivits in general aren’t a great idea because the vits and minerals compete for absorption).

Hopefully someone will be along in a bit with supplement recommendations but it might be helpful to know that good plant sources of iron include lentils, chickpeas, beans, tofu, cashew nuts, chia seeds, ground linseed, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, kale, dried apricots and figs, raisins, quinoa and fortified breakfast cereal.

Vitamin C seems to help with iron absorption and also, if you do take supplements, there’s evidence that taking them every other day is better than taking them every day—there’s only so much you can absorb in one go, so taking large doses doesn’t work in the way you might expect!

[grumpyold]

Excellent advice from Jazzw but one additional tip.......avoid drinking tea with your meals because the tannin impedes the absorption of iron.

I have the opposite problem to you.......too much iron (hemochromatosis).

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Souzy

If you take the information from the ink Jazz has posted, this is how your results compare:

Serum iron

• 55 to 70% of the range

• higher end for men

Yours is 27.53% through range so it's low

TIBC (total iron binding capacity) or Transferrin

• Low in range indicates lack of capacity for additional iron

• High in range indicates body's need for supplemental iron

Yours is 59.16% through range so a little over half way

Saturation

• optimal is 35 to 45%

• higher end for men

Yours is 20.6% so it's low

Ferritin

• Low level virtually always indicates need for iron supplementation

Yours is 18.47% through range. As your CRP is low this result will be accurate, raised CRP indicates inflammation and inflammation raises ferritin.

Ferritin is recommended to be half way through range with some experts suggesting that the optimal level for thyroid function is 90-110ug/L.

I can't advise you to take iron tablets, I'm not medically qualified and iron is complicated. You may wish to discuss these results with your GP.

You might want to consider very carefully self supplementing which is what I have done. My iron panel was always good for serum iron and saturation but my ferritin was always at the lower end and difficult to raise even eating liver, etc. After taking co-codamol for a few days by coincidence I did an iron panel and my serum iron and saturation levels had plummeted. On looking into this I discovered that the codeine in the co-codamol might have been the culprit as the body converts codeine into morphine and morphine lowers iron levels.

So I have very carefully supplemented with iron bisglycinate 20mg elemental iron, my supplement contained Vit C as well. I started with taking one capsule 3 times a week and when I retested 2.5 months later my levels had improved and were back to where they were previously so I reduced the iron tablets to twice a week, retesting 3 months later to find they'd dropped again. So I'm now back on 3 times a week to see if this is what I now need to maintain my levels. It's very important to test regularly if supplementing with iron to ensure your serum iron and saturation don't go too high.

[Souzy]

Thank you all, sorry for going awol but I had a date for a hemithyroidectomy at fairly short notice, then it was cancelled, then I had another for 3 weeks later but that ones been cancelled too and I'm still waiting for another date - so I can come out of avoidance/distraction mode and continue trying to optimise my bloods. I'll order some 20mg iron bisglycinate SeasideSusie and test my iron again end of Jan (as it's been about a month or so since the original test.

My GP (and endocrinologist) seem unaware that clenching your fist while having bloods taken can affect your serum potassium so I feel it's unlikely they're interested in low iron levels especially as long as they're in range or even a bit over or under, they're just not interested.

PS the operation is because half my thyroid has swollen and it's retrosternal and deviating my trachia. my thyroid results are still all in range although last time I had the TPO test done, the number of antibodies had increased.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Souzy]

Take iron 4 hours away from thyroid meds. Also take Vit C with the iron, this helps absorption. My iron supplement contains Vit C so if yours doesn't you'll need to take a separate Vit C. It's said that taking iron on alternate days means it's better absorbed than taking it daily.

[Souzy in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for the tip, I will try that. I'm not on Thyroid meds yet as my T4 and TSH are still in range. All hail the all knowing blood tests 😣😉