Iron Overload - What Could Be Causing This?

[Broco6679]

CRP HS: 4.05 mg/L (Range: < 5)
Iron: 32.68 umol/L (Range: 5.8 - 34.5)
TIBC: 50.58 umol/L (Range: 45 - 72)
UIBC: X 17.9 umol/ L (Range: 22.3 - 61.7)
Transferrin Saturation: X 64.61 % (Range: 20 - 50)
Ferritin: 205 ug/L (Range: 30 - 400)

After seeing those bloods I donated blood immediately. I had some more bloods done two weeks after donating:

CRP HS: 0.33 mg/L (Range: < 5)
Iron: 36.5umol/L (Range: 5.8 - 34.5)
Transferrin Saturation: X 67 % (Range: 20 - 50)
Ferritin: 40 g/L (Range: 30 - 400)

Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this iron overload? I’m having a whole host of issues at the moment, including thyroid. TSH is usually 2-3 with low end T3/4 - accompanied with all the usual hypo symptoms. Eyebrows and hair are thinning rapidly.

Is iron overload potentially the root of my issues, or is it simply a manifestation of a larger issue elsewhere? Any advice is appreciated; I can provide my other blood work if required. Thanks!

 

[ExCarniv]

CRP HS: 4.05 mg/L (Range: < 5)
Iron: 32.68 umol/L (Range: 5.8 - 34.5)
TIBC: 50.58 umol/L (Range: 45 - 72)
UIBC: X 17.9 umol/ L (Range: 22.3 - 61.7)
Transferrin Saturation: X 64.61 % (Range: 20 - 50)
Ferritin: 205 ug/L (Range: 30 - 400)

After seeing those bloods I donated blood immediately. I had some more bloods done two weeks after donating:

CRP HS: 0.33 mg/L (Range: < 5)
Iron: 36.5umol/L (Range: 5.8 - 34.5)
Transferrin Saturation: X 67 % (Range: 20 - 50)
Ferritin: 40 g/L (Range: 30 - 400)

Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this iron overload? I’m having a whole host of issues at the moment, including thyroid. TSH is usually 2-3 with low end T3/4 - accompanied with all the usual hypo symptoms. Eyebrows and hair are thinning rapidly.

Is iron overload potentially the root of my issues, or is it simply a manifestation of a larger issue elsewhere? Any advice is appreciated; I can provide my other blood work if required. Thanks!

Do you eat white bread? Any iron fortified foods could cause you problems.

 

[Karime22]

Have you had your copper level tested? Low copper could allow for higher iron.

 

[RWilly]

Any Irish or Northern European ancestry? If so, it could be hereditary hemochromatosis. Phlebotomies are the current protocol for that.

The main symptoms people have before diagnoses are fatigue and joint paint.

 

[Katia]

What can I do for high iron in a teenager? Is there something to chelate?

 

[RWilly]

What can I do for high iron in a teenager? Is there something to chelate?

Milk thistle seems to have some chelating benefits. Baby aspirin as well, but be careful with taking too much.

 

[lampofred]

What can I do for high iron in a teenager? Is there something to chelate?

Probably the quickest thing to do immediately would be to avoid vitamin D for a while, and then donate blood after having drunk a lot of coffee + OJ.

In the long run: I think tap water/shower water can have a lot of iron depending on what your pipes are made of. Aspirin helps to chelate iron mildly, coffee both inhibits absorption from food and helps to detox stored iron. Orange juice (only if it is decent quality and low in glyphosate) helps to detox stored heavy metals if drunk alone but will increase iron absorption if eaten with iron-rich foods. Milk is deficient in iron and so using milk instead of meat will help to reduce iron intake. Supplemental vitamin D increases iron storage (opposite effect of coffee) so I think it should be avoided when there is an iron excess issue. And of course avoiding all refined starches will help because they have to be fortified with iron by law in the US, and avoiding PUFA intake will reduce damage from current stored iron. Pots and pans can leak iron into foods.

Iron absorption is increased most importantly by excess estrogen/cellular hypoxia, so I think getting enough animal protein to detox estrogen (and supplementing thyroid to maintain adequate body temperature if necessary), and also taking niacinamide, methylene blue, sugar, magnesium, and gelatin (making sure it is high quality because low quality gelatin is very high in iron) will increase tissue oxygenation and reduce iron absorption.

 

[Katia]

Probably the quickest thing to do immediately would be to avoid vitamin D for a while, and then donate blood after having drunk a lot of coffee + OJ.

In the long run: I think tap water/shower water can have a lot of iron depending on what your pipes are made of. Aspirin helps to chelate iron mildly, coffee both inhibits absorption from food and helps to detox stored iron. Orange juice (only if it is decent quality and low in glyphosate) helps to detox stored heavy metals if drunk alone but will increase iron absorption if eaten with iron-rich foods. Milk is deficient in iron and so using milk instead of meat will help to reduce iron intake. Supplemental vitamin D increases iron storage (opposite effect of coffee) so I think it should be avoided when there is an iron excess issue. And of course avoiding all refined starches will help because they have to be fortified with iron by law in the US, and avoiding PUFA intake will reduce damage from current stored iron. Pots and pans can leak iron into foods.

Iron absorption is increased most importantly by excess estrogen/cellular hypoxia, so I think getting enough animal protein to detox estrogen (and supplementing thyroid to maintain adequate body temperature if necessary), and also taking niacinamide, methylene blue, sugar, magnesium, and gelatin (making sure it is high quality because low quality gelatin is very high in iron) will increase tissue oxygenation and reduce iron absorption.

Wow! Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate. I don't supplement her with vit D. She has reactions. Do you animal protein by beef?

 

[Katia]

Milk thistle seems to have some chelating benefits. Baby aspirin as well, but be careful with taking too much.

Interesting. Thanks!!

 

[bluewren]

@Broco6679

Include the Hemochromatosis test when you next have a blood test.

 

[lampofred]

Wow! Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate. I don't supplement her with vit D. She has reactions. Do you animal protein by beef?

np, I think beef is one the most antiestrogenic meats so it is good in that sense, but it is also high in iron. milk, cheese, low PUFA eggs, low-fat fish might be better as the bulk source of protein with beef being more secondary. Dr. Peat recommends at least 80 grams of protein a day for the liver to effectively detox estrogen.

 

[Katia]

np, I think beef is one the most antiestrogenic meats so it is good in that sense, but it is also high in iron. milk, cheese, low PUFA eggs, low-fat fish might be better as the bulk source of protein with beef being more secondary. Dr. Peat recommends at least 80 grams of protein a day for the liver to effectively detox estrogen.

Thank you. I will work on that.

 

[tankasnowgod]

CRP HS: 4.05 mg/L (Range: < 5)
Iron: 32.68 umol/L (Range: 5.8 - 34.5)
TIBC: 50.58 umol/L (Range: 45 - 72)
UIBC: X 17.9 umol/ L (Range: 22.3 - 61.7)
Transferrin Saturation: X 64.61 % (Range: 20 - 50)
Ferritin: 205 ug/L (Range: 30 - 400)

After seeing those bloods I donated blood immediately. I had some more bloods done two weeks after donating:

CRP HS: 0.33 mg/L (Range: < 5)
Iron: 36.5umol/L (Range: 5.8 - 34.5)
Transferrin Saturation: X 67 % (Range: 20 - 50)
Ferritin: 40 g/L (Range: 30 - 400)

Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this iron overload? I’m having a whole host of issues at the moment, including thyroid. TSH is usually 2-3 with low end T3/4 - accompanied with all the usual hypo symptoms. Eyebrows and hair are thinning rapidly.

Is iron overload potentially the root of my issues, or is it simply a manifestation of a larger issue elsewhere? Any advice is appreciated; I can provide my other blood work if required. Thanks!

Did ferritin really drop from 200 to 40? That's a huge and unexpected drop from a single blood donation. The general estimate is that ferritin drops about 30 ug/L per donation. If it dropped 160, that would be crazy.

As far as what's "causing" it...... how old are you? Those numbers would generally be expected in for a man in his late 20s and early 30s. I don't think most doctors would even blink an eye at your results. If you live in the US or any other country with iron fortification, simply being a man and eating an average diet would explain most of it.

TSAT is high, but did you do the test fasting? Serum Iron is will fluctuate with eating. Even with that number, a doctor would probably ask you to do a restest in a month or two.

I think donating blood is wise, and would really recommend the E.D. Weinberg book "Exposing the Hidden Dangers of Iron" to get a better idea of how iron is regulated and how to maintain a lower level.

 

[tankasnowgod]

@Broco6679

Include the Hemochromatosis test when you next have a blood test.

I don't think there's much of a reason for this, especially when ferritin is within the lab range.