Iron overload - Doctor won't prescribe me more test

[edoos]

Hi,

I have done my last blood test and my doctor is not worried about Haemochromatosis because he said my ferritin is only 300 ng/ml and not over 1000 ng/ml which he said is the freehold to suspect Haemochromatosis.

Here is my blood test result:

Ferritin: 300ng / ml range (30 - 400)
Iron saturation: 55% (max is 45%)
Transferrin: 2,43g/l range (2.00 - 3.60)
Serum Iron: 185 ug/100ml

Haemoglobin is high also 18,1 g/100ml I think it's due to iron being high. I don't have any mark of inflammation CRP is low, and sedimentation speed is low.

I have read that ferritin higher than 150 ng/ml is bad for overall health and longevity, which my doctor didn't agree with. Furthermore, I'm a bit worried to stay with this level of ferritin that could potentially cause some serious long term issue like cancer and heart problems.

I check back in time and from 2010 to now my ferritin was always between 100-300 but it's recently high on the last free reading since 2016 over 256ng/ml.

Thanks for your help and support.

 

[Kayaker]

What do you want your doctor to do? Just do blood donation every 8 weeks, and take aspirin and thiamine which chelate iron.

 

[edoos]

He said to me everything is fine, and my levels are okay, but from what I read online they aren't... I want to know if those levels are bad and if I should do something about it.

 

[redsun]

The doc is smart in that testosterone will worsen iron overload problems. So if in his opinion you are not quite there yet, taking testosterine will put you there. I agree. But you can just do an iron donation once.

EDIT: So now I realize I think you meant testing instead of testosterone. Either way, based on this you are not overloaded. But probably a single blood donation very very rarely wouldn't hurt. Just don't do it often. Iron is very important.

 

[cedric]

COVID-19 & Iron | Iron Disorders Institute

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My family memeber had 140 ferritine level, next we lowered some iron with leeches. Later there was covid quarrantine ( the patient is 86 years old), fever for a few days, and ferritine jumped to 350.

 

[Elie]

IP6 can ne used to remove iron
500 mg

 

[golder]

IP6 can ne used to remove iron
500 mg

Wow, I didn’t know that, thanks. Can you share any studies you read or where you found this out? Thanks!

 

[Mito]

Ferritin: 300ng / ml range (30 - 400)
Iron saturation: 55% (max is 45%)
Transferrin: 2,43g/l range (2.00 - 3.60)
Serum Iron: 185 ug/100ml

“On the full iron panel you want your transferrin saturation to be between 30% and 40%, probably your ferritin between 60 and 150 in American units.”

“So let’s compare ferritin and transferrin saturation here. In terms of sensitivity, the reason that ferritin increases in response to too much iron status is because on a mechanistic level, elevated transferrin saturation communicates through HFE to hepcidin to downregulate iron absorption and to increase storage of iron and ferritin. So transferrin saturation is much more sensitive than ferritin is because transferrin saturation is the cause of ferritin elevating in response to too much iron, and that’s consistent with my own story where my transferrin saturation was going out of the reference range while my ferritin was way, way, way within it. In fact, when ferritin is used to diagnose hemochromatosis, then it may be the case that they won’t recommend that you get a liver biopsy until your ferritin reaches 1000 nanograms per milliliter, and you could probably catch all of those people with hemochromatosis if you just screened everyone who has transferrin saturation over 45%.”
Why You Need to Manage Your Iron Status and How to Do It

 

[Elie]

Wow, I didn’t know that, thanks. Can you share any studies you read or where you found this out? Thanks!

it actually prevents iron absorption all together. Inositol phosphates with different numbers of phosphate groups influence iron absorption in humans - PubMed
AKA phytic acid.
Meaning it may prevent absorption of other nutrients - zinc and calcium, so be mindful of this. Phytic Acid - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
It is a viable option for reducing iron overload.

I also wonder if zeolite would help bind and remove iron.

 

[sunny]

Are you female or male? Estrogen plays a part. As a female i had steadily increasing saturation % (which is what I was most worried about). Mine had exceeded the top of the range and I did not know why. Dr Peat recommends it to be 25%. I had mine checked just before covid hit and it was down from high 60s to 23%. I had done a blood donation the year before, i have a high milk diet with some fruit, eggs, potatoes, grass-fed beef, occasional liver and oysters. I had started cyclical progesterone to oppose estrogen during my cycle, I use a 325 mg Aspirin most nights. I am not sure but I think reducing the estrogen is what brought the saturation % back in line.

 

[edoos]

Thanks to all for your message, I'm a male 34 years old. I will need to find a doctor who is okay to investigate more. I will try some supplements, I'm a bit scared to do a blood donation as a support not very well a blood drawn of 8 tubes, a blood donation would be much, much higher than that. Furthermore, I have also read that curcumin, quercetin and milk thistle are good for iron overload. Also, spirulina (Decreasing cardiac iron overload with Amlodipine and Spirulina in children with β-thalassemia.) seems to remove excess iron from organs.

is there any majors issue to use all of them for like 1 month?

 

[sunny]

Here's some Chris Masterjohn info posted on another thread.


Why You Need to Manage Your Iron Status and How to Do It

“On the full iron panel you want your transferrin saturation to be between 30% and 40%, probably your ferritin between 60 and 150 in American units.”

“So let’s compare ferritin and transferrin saturation here. In terms of sensitivity, the reason that ferritin increases in response to too much iron status is because on a mechanistic level, elevated transferrin saturation communicates through HFE to hepcidin to downregulate iron absorption and to increase storage of iron and ferritin. So transferrin saturation is much more sensitive than ferritin is because transferrin saturation is the cause of ferritin elevating in response to too much iron, and that’s consistent with my own story where my transferrin saturation was going out of the reference range while my ferritin was way, way, way within it. In fact, when ferritin is used to diagnose hemochromatosis, then it may be the case that they won’t recommend that you get a liver biopsy until your ferritin reaches 1000 nanograms per milliliter, and you could probably catch all of those people with hemochromatosis if you just screened everyone who has transferrin saturation over 45%.

 

[sunny]

And in response to Chris Masterjohn info:
"

So after reading that, I could benefit from giving blood even though ferritin is fine?

That was Chris Masterjohn’s personal experience and he does have the gene mutation that is associated with hemochromatosis. He believes that high iron saturation is a leading indicator of iron overload and that eventually ferritin will rise above the normal range given high saturation"

 

[Lurker]

Ferritin is an acute phase reactant so if high, you probably have an infection or other inflammation going on. But also means it can fluctuate and not really an indicator of long term iron stores. How do your other labs looks? WBC, CRP, etc?

Ray has been generally positive about phlebotomy so it seems like a good place to start. Personally I feel better after a donation. There are other chelators such as lactoferrin. Ray has mention that even plain milk contains this so supplements are not necessarily needed.

 

[edoos]

Ferritin is an acute phase reactant so if high, you probably have an infection or other inflammation going on. But also means it can fluctuate and not really an indicator of long term iron stores. How do your other labs looks? WBC, CRP, etc?

Ray has been generally positive about phlebotomy so it seems like a good place to start. Personally I feel better after a donation. There are other chelators such as lactoferrin. Ray has mention that even plain milk contains this so supplements are not necessarily needed.

Thanks for your message, after searching for lactoferrin I found the opposite that it helps to raise iron levels "Lactoferrin is a critical regulator of iron absorption and oxidative stress. The present results showed that the combination of oral lactoferrin and iron injection is a more effective method to improve iron level, enhance antioxidant ability and modulate the cytokine activity in the suckling piglets"

 

[edoos]

I'm currently trying a highly bioavailable turmeric formulation and found that article who talk about turmeric cream Turmeric Benefit for Hemochromatosis | Hemochromatosis Help

 

[Lurker]

Thanks for your message, after searching for lactoferrin I found the opposite that it helps to raise iron levels "Lactoferrin is a critical regulator of iron absorption and oxidative stress. The present results showed that the combination of oral lactoferrin and iron injection is a more effective method to improve iron level, enhance antioxidant ability and modulate the cytokine activity in the suckling piglets"

I think there are two different forms of lactoferrin and the supplements (at least the Jarrow, Life Extension) are apo lactoferrin which is supposed to lower iron. That’s from memory from a couple of years ago so please double check me. Best wishes!

 

[sunny]

This is from Danny Roddy clips, talking with Ray Peat:

RP: High Iron, particularly if it’s the Iron Saturation %, just like Prolactin, is a sign of high estrogen. Are you dealing with your thyroid first?

DR: “Estrogen and the hypoxia , and the low thyroid increasing the estrogen promoting the hypoxia, that is what’s making the iron accumulate and displace the copper. It’s not just a random iron overload situation right”

DR: “So the iron overload is actually hyperesteogenemia
RP: “I think so, in most cases”
Danny Roddy Clips

 

[edoos]

Thanks for your reply. I will do a dutch test to see where I'm at. I also have high prolactin since PFS (22ng/dl) and I'm like this since 10 years. So I assume it must play a role in what you said