Re: Q for Hveragerthi. Iron in Men

  I have a question for you. I was taking LipoNano vitamins ( I know that you do not approve them). This has caused ferritin to go up to 310 ug/L. It took about 2 yrs but it was going up

<12 Iron deficient
12 - 30 Depleted Iron Stores
31 - 79 Reduced Iron Stores
80 - 300 Normal Iron Stores
> 300 Likely Iron Overload.

I stopped taking liponano stuff and Ferritin went down slowly. I did test to check liver and iron.

Bilirubin Total 5.0 < 23 umol/L
Iron 9 (9 - 30) umol/L
TIBC 46 (45 - 77) umol/L
Saturation 0.20 (0.20 - 0.50) /L

The question: My Iron and Saturation on the low border of the range. Is it normal or I am somewhat iron deficient.

Your tests show you are on the low side of iron.  The TIBC (total iron binding capacity) is also on the low end, which means the iron is not being properly bound.  This can lead to an increase of free iron in the blood, which leads to problems such as oxidative damage.  This in turn leads to inflammation, which is one cause of increased ferritin levels.

A couple of suggestions,  First if you take a multi-vitamin get one without iron.  Try to get your iron from plant sources instead.  They are not absorbed as well, but are naturally bound and easier on the system.  Red beets are a good source.

Second, try building up your adrenals and taking herbs or supplements to keep your inflammation down such as licorice root and fish oil.   This should help reduce your ferritin levels.