Improving ferritin levels

[Laundretta]

Take a quick look on my profile and you'll see that generally my vitamin levels are now pretty good. Stop taking the supplements and they still nosedive, but the supplements work. I have so far avoided any iron supplementation but eat plenty of red meat, some liver and black pudding. The ferritin levels don't seem to go up. Are there any recommended Iron supplements anyone would recommend? I reckon I can clear a window to take them in the afternoon among all the other pills and potions. It's getting ridiculous!

[Hidden]

Hey! Ferrous fumarate is the strongest, but I had problems with absorbing so personally what helped was Floradix, my ferritin has gone up by 15% in 4 months. Like you, I have been eating red meats etc my ferritin was down at 20% of the range.

[MaisieGray]

I'm not sure that strongest is a measure, rather how bioavailable the different forms are, is a key factor. A 2013 comparison study using a human intestinal model by Zariwala et al, looked at a range of UK supplementary products including Ferrous sulphatetablets from Almus, Ferrous fumarate tablets from Goldshield, Ferrous gluconate tablets from Zanza, Ferrous sulphate plus ascorbic acid controlled release tablets from Teopharma, Ferrous fumarate plus minerals and vitamins sustained release capsules from Vitabiotics, Ferrous gluconate plus folic acid syrup from Vitabiotics, & Ferrous gluconate plus ascorbic acid syrup Floradix. They found that Iron absorption from ferrous sulphate conventional-release tablets was significantly higher than any of the preparations evaluated (P<0.05), and equivalent to 41% of the FeSO4 standard. Both the modified-released formulations containing ferrous sulphate plus ascorbic acid (Ferrograd C) and ferrous gluconate plus minerals and vitamins (Feroglobin B12) demonstrated low iron absorption. Syrup preparations containing ferrous gluconate plus folic acid (Feroglobin B12) and ferrous gluconate plus ascorbic acid (Floradix) also demonstrated relatively low iron absorption. Conventional-release ferrous sulphate therefore demonstrated the overall highest rate of iron uptake, whereas the lowest level of iron uptake was from ferrous sulphate plus ascorbic acid (Ferrograd C) modified-release tablets.

The study shows that bioavailability is affected not simply by the different forms of ferrous salts themselves but by the other ingredients with which they are combined, and the form in which they at ingested. There are of course, other factors such as individual gut tolerability, and as ever, it comes down to what you want to achieve, and what you get on with.

[Laundretta in reply to MaisieGray]

Hi! Thanks for that. I'm interested in both the iron and magnesium, but we did seem to veer here from one to the other. Was this intentional or have I missed something? X

[MaisieGray in reply to Laundretta]

Apologies, I posted something I'd written before, intending to edit out the magnesium section, but forgot! 😂 I've amended it to avoid confusion.

[Wolfiesmom08]

There are quite a few of us here who have normal iron and low ferritin. Just do a search you’ll see some really helpful posts. My nutrient levels are really improved including my ferritin when I started taking stomach acid (Betain HCL)with digestive enzymes at every meal.

[anonymous45]

If you struggle to maintain good levels of ferritin despite a good diet, consider why this might be the case, is absorption an issue? Remember that other minerals like calcium, magnesium etc. can interfere with the absorption of iron, as can caffeine.

Furthermore, due to how the body regulates iron uptake, the time of day can have an effect on absorption.

For a daily iron supplement (in my case, due to transiently poor appetite) I use Ferroglobin. It is a slow release type formula that does not upset the stomach or cause constipation.

If the ferritin is particularly low, make sure your doctor is aware that prescription strength iron may be required (usually a moderate-high dose of ferrous fumarate for a few weeks).

Be aware also that there are different ways to measure the different forms of iron storage in your body and blood. Ensure that your iron levels aren't high despite low ferritin; if that were the case there may be something else going on (e.g. low vitamin B12).

Phytic acid (found in grains) binds many minerals and prevents absorption. Try to take iron away from these foods, as well as avoiding caffeine for at least an hour post-supplement. Iron absorption can be improved by taking it alongside higher doses of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). There are several reasons this works, one of which is that Vitamin C is good at binding up Phytic acid, and thus prevents it from 'deactivating' nutrients.