Ferritin Level: Could you please advise if a... - Thyroid UK

There is a problem with mentioning 70 as the desired minimum. This number seems to have come from some research papers or articles that didn't supply a reference range. And I think the STTM owner and author mentioned 70 as the target as well for a while - and she often skips the range, which is really annoying!

Someone having a level of 70 for ferritin with a range of 13 - 150 might be fine because it is nearly mid-range. But with the change in the range to 30 to 200, 70 ends up being lower in range as a percentage.

One of my past ferritin results had a range of 13 - 400. And now, older women are being told that 30 - 650 is fine, while for younger women it is lower but I can't remember what.

These days I always suggest 50% - 70% of the way through the range for ferritin.

I'm still dubious about specifying an actual number given the huge variation in ranges because I really don't believe that 70 means the same with a range of 13 - 150 as it does with a range of 30 - 650. And 650 as top of range for ferritin for anyone, whatever their gender and whatever their age, is absolutely bonkers (in my opinion).

userotc• in reply tohumanbean2 years ago

Understood and agreed that % through range is better than absolute. I'd saved a comment from S/Susie way back in 2016 with full comment "Ferritin should be half way through it's range, with a minimum of 70 for thyroid hormone to work properly" but I didnt save the relevant range quoted.

My serum ferritin values have fluctuated between 13 and 26% of range (30-400) in the past couple of years with Medichecks doctor stating "Your ferritin and iron levels are normal indicating healthy iron stores" when 26%. Im guessing you'd disagree? I'm male.

humanbean• in reply touserotc2 years ago

When I look at iron results I base what I think is optimal on this link :

rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...

Some of the suggestions are a bit "woolly".

For TIBC/Transferrin it says

• Low in range indicates lack of capacity for additional iron

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

Rightly or wrongly, I always treat that as a woolly way of saying that optimal is roughly mid-range.

For 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

Depending on the serum iron/saturation/TIBC I would interpret that as approx mid-range being a "safe" level for ferritin, although other sources say it can go a bit higher, so I suggest a level of 50% - 70% of the way through the range.

But I am really nervous of that range with 650 at the top. It seems much too high to me, and in previous years it might have prompted some cautious doctors to investigate a patient for possible haemochromatosis if their ferritin results were persistently near 650. (It wouldn't happen now, I don't think.)

...

Regarding TIBC and transferrin, I don't trust these very much for deciding whether or not someone needs iron. I prefer to look at ferritin, iron, and saturation, probably because I don't know enough about how TIBC and transferrin work in terms of levels. I have seen quite a lot of people with low levels of one or both of those while ferritin and serum iron were quite low. And yet low iron and ferritin are supposed to show up with high levels of TIBC.

userotc• in reply tohumanbean2 years ago

If I recall correctly, a while ago I also found the suggestions in the link you supplied "woolly" so I researched further and decided my serum ferritin levels of 78-130 are likely healthy. However, there is wide variation reported including:

1. Dr Hedberg reports "I prefer a ferritin of about 70-150 for optimal health. Some women need to have a ferritin at 100 or above just to start seeing hair regrowth, to normalize thyroid function, and to really feel better"

drhedberg.com/the-ferritin-...

2. Dr Mercola reports "An ideal level for adult men and non-menstruating women is somewhere between 30 and 60 ng/mL" and "You do not want to be below 20 ng/mL or above 80 ng/mL". But he generally is rather extreme in my experience!

functionalmedicineuniversit...

3. I Wentz suggests 90-110, at least for women/thyroid thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...