Hi!Can anyone shed any light on these please? May well be being v dim, but I think Ferritin should be higher...what does just out of range Transferrin mean please? CRP is less than 4. On GP's advice I've been taking ferrous fumarate for 3 months - ferritin was 7 in May, so at least that's improving...
Thanks!
Low transferrin shows you have a need for more iron and the other results show that you are ok to carry on taking the pills and test again in another 3 months🤗
Its actually the opposite. Shows lack of capacity for iron supplement.
rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...
? I can see why this website is confusing you... some great explanations below thanks radd FallingInReverse who are far more knowledgeable on this subject, I was just trying to keep it simple 🙃
Serum iron : According to the rt3-adrenals link rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...
• 55 to 70% of the range
• higher end for men
Given that your result is 51% through the range and you are female I would say your result is a little low, suggesting that you should supplement iron.
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
Your transferrin is below the range, which is in the lower half of the range. This suggests that you don't have the capacity for more iron.
Transferrin Saturation : Your result = approximately 56%
• optimal is 35 to 45%
• higher end for men
Your Saturation is higher than optimal suggesting that your iron levels are too high.
So you have a mixed picture and ferritin is below optimal. Optimal said to be 90-100.
I would be cautious with continuing the supplement and perhaps reduce your dose a little and focus on iron rich foods - red meat, chicken liver pate a few times a week.
Further - the transferrin saturation percent figure is a direct measure on its own.
The 35% result IS optimal. We do not need to calculate a percent of a percent for this one.
Conclusion is the same
- iron is volatile and being 50 vs 55% is not relevant. It’s a great iron level.
- transferrin sat % is perfect as well.
Ferritin is the longer term play and is clearly reacting to sufficient iron.
Penicookie should continue with the exact supplement plan they e been on for the past three months and test full iron panel no longer than 3 months from now.
Penicookie,
Transferrin is a binding transport protein, and as iron should never be ‘free’ (as is toxic), transferrin will (in a healthy state) match serum iron levels to ensure enough is bound while allowing just enough free for usage.
However, transferrin proteins can become low through insufficient dietary protein intake or influenced by chronic inflammation commonly seen in people with autoimmune conditions.
Because serum iron is volatile and dependant upon the amount consumed in the previous hours before the blood test, ferritin (storage protein) is also considered when analysing iron levels, but again is not always a clear indicator as can be influenced by inflammation, (hence it is possible to have high ferritin with iron deficiency) .
I agree with your GP and TiggerMe that you need to keep to supplementing iron but with caution. In an ideal world more iron will encourage more transferrin to be made to support the additional load. Your GP should offer regular iron panel tests to keep abreast of what is going on.
Thanks, all! Seems all a bit confusing...but thanks for replying!
Iron is a confusing one but great explanations from radd and FallingInReverse who are some of our top iron guru's 🤗 thought I'd given some duff information when I saw JD's reaction 😵 but that's the joy of this forum someone picks up on the odd slipups and sets us straight and everyone that reads this post learns a lot
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