Best Way To Raise Ferritin Levels – Before we can dive into functional medicine strategies for optimizing ferritin, we need to talk about what it is and why it’s important.
Because it matters a lot, even though your doctor may not pay attention to it or even measure it. Here’s what you need to know.
Best Way To Raise Ferritin Levels
Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in your cells, transports it safely through your blood, and releases it when your body needs more iron—you know, to do important things like make red blood cells that carry oxygen to every cell and system. your body
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We need this ferritin protein because while iron is a very beneficial trace element for your body, free iron is actually toxic to your cells, so it needs to be bound or collected during storage.
Ferritin’s job is to keep iron in stores, ready for use when your body needs it, without exposing cells to harmful free iron. So when we measure plasma ferritin, we get an idea of how much iron is “reserved” in your body – compared to a direct blood iron measurement (which is more common than ferritin measurement).
Even if your iron blood test comes back in the normal range, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have enough iron in your stores—stored in ferritin—for all the functions your body needs.
This is called latent iron deficiency and can include a number of common symptoms including:
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Most of these symptoms overlap with other underlying causes or are often dismissed as “all in your head.” And all these systems are not easy to find!
But I’m here to tell you, don’t go overboard with the iron if you’re struggling with fatigue, mood issues, or hair loss!
You may be thinking, “Okay, Dr. Kate, I have these symptoms, but my doctor says my ferritin is normal.”
Well, normal is not the same as best! For example, many leading functional medicine experts agree that hair growth is extremely difficult at ferritin levels below 70 micrograms per liter, and if you have thyroid problems, you may need a level of at least 100 micrograms per liter to relieve symptoms.
Factors Associated With Low Ferritin Level (n=303)
BUT most standard testing standards consider levels as low as 11 micrograms per liter to be normal! Yes, you can live at lower levels and not even notice symptoms for a while.
But if you have hair loss, fatigue, joint pain, anxiety, or cognitive problems, suboptimal ferritin may be part of the problem.
For your information, I want to see optimized ferritin levels of 70-300 micrograms per liter for men and 70-150 for women, unless they have thyroid disease, in which case that low number reaches at least 100 micrograms per liter.
Ferritin is measured in the blood, so to determine the level you need to go to a laboratory for a blood sample or do a finger prick at home.
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In most cases, you can ask your healthcare provider to order this test for you, especially if you tell them you’re feeling tired or have other symptoms related to low iron.
But make sure you specify ferritin specifically – otherwise you may be tested for iron. If you are in the United States, you can order your own ferritin test from a local laboratory or purchase a home test kit.
I have more information on approved lab kits and self-order kits in my FREE Ferritin Elevation Checklist – you can sign up HERE.
Good Now you know what ferritin is, why it’s important, and what types of symptoms it can cause if it’s deficient. You also know what range to look for and how to test your ferritin.
Ratio Of Ferritin Levels According To Baseline Characteristics In…
Now let’s talk about how you can increase your ferritin levels to help relieve symptoms and keep your body functioning at its best!
The first thing we should consider when ferritin is low is iron loss. A healthy adult loses about 1 mg of iron a day in the feces, and a menstruating woman loses another 20-60 mg per cycle, depending on how pregnant she is and how often she menstruates.
Iron loss can be accelerated by exercise such as running and even – get this – playing the bongo or conga drums.
Yes, it’s a thing! And that makes sense, because anything that damages blood cells can cause iron loss.
Ferritin: 10 Ng/ml
Low ferritin levels can be the result of past blood loss, such as pregnancy and childbirth, surgery, or other physical trauma. After these events, it can be difficult to “catch up” iron stores, so you will have low ferritin levels.
However, some loss of iron is inevitable, which means your body constantly needs to replenish this important trace element. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to eat, absorb and use enough iron!
Animal products such as meat, shellfish and eggs contain both heme and non-heme iron. Plants contain only non-heme iron.
In terms of absorption, heme iron is absorbed at a higher rate (about 15-35%) but non-heme iron is absorbed. somewhere in the range of 2-20% absorbability – unless it is combined with vitamin C, which can absorb it a little better.
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This is why people following a plant-based diet should monitor their ferritin levels especially closely.
Also, because iron intake is generally low, it is very difficult to correct iron or ferritin deficiency using dietary sources alone.
And if you have heavy periods, intestinal problems that reduce absorption, or an obsession with playing the conga,
There are many very common things that can make it difficult to absorb iron.
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This is where I see most people get stuck – they try to eat more iron in their diet or even add high doses, but it just doesn’t work. They are raising their standards!
I mentioned this a while ago, but there are several reasons related to gut health that can make it difficult for you to optimize your ferritin levels.
Atrophic gastritis is a condition in which the cells that line the stomach change into cells that look more like apical cells, meaning they lose the ability to secrete stomach acid. Without it, the consumption of iron and other trace elements is significantly reduced.
The sad thing about atrophic gastritis is that anemia is almost always the first symptom to appear, rather than nausea or vomiting or other digestive symptoms.
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What causes atrophic gastritis? The most common culprit is Helicobacter pylori infection, and about 60% of the world’s population is infected with this common bacterium.
H. pylori can also cause stomach ulcers or even lead to stomach cancer in a small percentage of people.
If you have problems absorbing iron and suspect a bowel problem, a complete stool exam can help rule out h. pylori and other microbial causes. I will link to my favorite comprehensive H. pylori monitoring test in the FREE Elevated Ferritin Checklist. Download it HERE.
Celiac disease can also reduce the absorption of trace elements, especially iron. If you’re sensitive to gluten, have certain genetics, or other nutritional deficiencies, avoiding gluten in your diet can help reduce your overall inflammation and improve your immune system. – take iron.
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Common medications can also reduce your gut’s ability to absorb iron. Antacids such as Tums, Rolaids, Milk of Magnesia, Tagamet, Pepcid, and Zantac remove iron, as do some antibiotics.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen, as well as aspirin, can also cause iron deficiency because they irritate the lining of the stomach and cause small, slow bleeding over time. If you regularly take any of these medications, it’s time to get your ferritin checked.
So what are some functional medicine strategies to not only reduce ferritin problems, but actively increase them?
As I mentioned before, the first step is to increase your iron intake. If you are simply trying to prevent low ferritin levels, it may be helpful to increase the amount of iron-rich foods in your diet.
Serum Ferritin Test
But if you’ve checked your levels and found them to be low, you’ll probably need a compact, high-quality malleable cast iron – or as a last resort, cast iron IV.
It contains a form of iron that is more easily absorbed and less likely to cause indigestion. There are also several cofactors—namely, other micronutrients that the body needs to use iron properly, such as methylated B vitamins.
In addition to these micronutrients, take vitamin C with iron
An acidic environment is better for the absorption of iron, but also of other trace elements, such as calcium. If you have digestive symptoms such as bloating, heartburn, gas, indigestion, or abdominal discomfort, you may have hypochlorhydria, or low stomach acid.
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In this case, it may be helpful to take digestive enzyme medications and betaine HCl to create an ideal stomach environment for iron absorption.
Another strategy I find useful for increasing ferritin is to promote certain types of bacteria in the gut
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