Many people suffer from iron deficiency and some suffer from iron over load. Often individuals and their families don’t have a clear understanding of what that means. Anytime we discover their is a problem with our health we want information about what it is, how does it affect my life and is there a treatment? Having more information provides opportunity to make better decisions about our health.
What is the difference between ferritin and iron?
Iron is an important mineral present in red blood cells and these red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest your body. When you don’t have enough iron, there are fewer healthy red blood cells to carry the oxygen. Ferritin is a protein that stores iron and releases it when the body needs it. You kind find the stored protein in the liver, spleen, muscle tissue, and bone marrow. The location of the protein that stores the iron, makes it possible to be delivered throughout the body. The protein is produced by almost all living organisms, including archaea, bacteria, algae, higher plants, and animals.
Food Sources with Iron
Food sources of iron include meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables and cereals (especially those fortified with iron). To be more specific; iron fortified cereals and breads. Other sources are white beans, lentils, spinach, kidney beans and peas. Nuts and some dried fruits such as raisins. Your body absorbs iron from plant sources better when you eat it with meat, poultry, seafood, and foods that contain vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, strawberries, sweet peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli. We have all heard the term “eat a balanced meal”, well this is a good example why that is so important. Getting your iron intake from foods is ideal. The recommended amount of iron for women ages 19 to 50 is 18 milligrams per day and for men ages 19+, 8 milligrams per day. Vegetarians who do not eat meat, poultry, or seafood need almost twice as much iron consumed through what they eat.
LOW IRON
Your medical provider may order Iron tests to understand what may be causing specific symptoms. Tests that are included in a panel like this are: Ferritin, Iron Saturation, TIBC and a CBC Ferritin level: measures blood levels of ferritin, the amount of the protein stored in the cell. Optimal ferritin levels in Women are 60 to 300 ng/ ml, Men-12 to 300ml and Children 7 to 140ml. A total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) measures the blood’s ability to attach itself to iron and transport it around the body. If your iron level is low, the TIBC will be high
Symptoms of low ferritin
You may ask yourself why do I have these symptoms; fatigue, weakness, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, hair loss, pica (the craving for dirt or eating ice). You may have low ferritin. A person may present pale, bruising easily and have issues with digestion such IBS or Celiac disease. Other symptoms are chronic headaches & tingling in hands & feet, ringing in the ears and irritability. Some people will even have shortness of breath and leg cramps. Depression, anxiety, and ADHD are not uncommon with low ferritin because it is effecting the brain as well. Keep in mind, other health issues can be a cause for these symptoms, as well. The best way to know the cause is see your Provider.
What ferritin level is dangerously low?
When you do get your lab tests done it helps to know what the numbers mean. Did you know less than 10, levels 10-20 are concerning of iron deficiency anemia? Treatment: Iron infusions through an IV. This can provide rapid replenishment of iron and ferritin will peak within 7 to 9 days later. If you have a double dose ferritin can peak in 2 days. Oral iron replacement is not absorbed as efficiently so poses a challenge if your iron stores are significantly depleted.
High Ferritin
High ferritin could indicate that you have a condition that causes your body to store too much iron. It could also point to liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, other inflammatory conditions, or hyperthyroidism. Some types of cancer also can cause your blood ferritin level to be high, such as Leukemia & Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Hemochromatosis is a condition that causes your body to absorb and hold onto too much iron. Even the food you eat and even using cast iron skillets/pans can make it worse. Things we have control of, like Alcohol Abuse and taking too many iron supplements are additional causes of high ferritin. That is to say it is very rare to have iron overload from what you eat, by itself, without an underlying health condition.
Symptoms of Iron Overload
I reviewed the symptoms for low ferritin, therefore I will review the symptoms for iron over load. Firstly, you will see a few similar symptoms such as fatigue and weight loss. Then notice these that have nothing in common with low ferritin. They may include sore joints, loss of hair, heart and liver problems and darkening skin. Iron over load can also cause sexual dysfunction. All these can arise because the iron builds up in the organs and leads to destruction and loss of normal function.
It is recommended that you go see your doctor if you have any of the symptoms in this article. It may have nothing to do with this topic but it should be checked out.
References and Recommended Articles
www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/blood-diseases/an…
http://www.mayoclinic.org
www.medicinenet.org
Recommended Articles:
Great Article about low Ferritin by Susan Patrick; Low Ferritin Symptoms (glutenintoleranceschool.com)
Website that provides more information on how you can be healthier when it comes to iron: Iron | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
