Iron panel opinions

[pure1instinct]

Hello everyone,

I want to get some opinions on my iron panel I recently got.

Ferritin 156 38-380ng/mL
Iron total 146 50-180mcg/dL
Iron binding capacity 249 250-425mcg/dL(calc)
Saturation 59 20-48%(calc)

To add some context I’m dealing with chronic fatigue and gut issues. I recently ordered a gi map test and will be getting the results soon. If anyone can help interpret these iron numbers that would be great.

 

[sunny]

I have been accumulating iron info. I had very high sat % at one point. I have brought it down, I think it was caused by high estrogen. Here are some quotes from Ray Peat, Danny Roddy, Haidut, Hans, East West Healing. Maybe they will help you:


IRON

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
-------‐------------
think improving nutrition in general might be a better idea than addressing iron directly since people can have a high level of stored iron combined with a low level of red blood cells. One should be eating gelatin, liver, oysters, shrimps, fruits, cooked green vegetables, etc. (e.g.: Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, copper, zinc, magnesium, selenium, etc. ). Here are a few articles/quotes which might help:

Ray Peat on copper deficiency and iron, their relationship
Ray Peat - Iron's dangers
Danny Roddy - Iron Overload, Perturbed Redox Balance, and Meddling Serotonin

On Anemia
Anemia in itself doesn't imply that there is a nutritional need for iron. - Ray Peat

It is possible to have too much iron in the blood while being anemic. - Ray Peat

Anemic means lacking blood, in the sense of not having enough red blood cells or hemoglobin. - Ray Peat

Most people define anemia as low iron, but should be classifying it as low bio-available copper causing increased saturation of iron in the tissues. - EastWest Healing

Thyroid
Abnormal thyroid status can affect ferritin level, without necessarily affecting your iron load. - Ray Peat

High estrogen
High estrogen causes hypoxia which in turn causes iron accumulation. - Danny Roddy (paraphrased from Ray Peat)

Copper and Vitamin A
Too much iron and too much stress makes us lose copper. -Ray Peat

The copper in oysters is protective against iron excess. - Ray Peat

Copper defends agains activated iron. Copper can turn ferrous iron back into the safer ferric iron. - Ray Peat

Vitamin A and bioavailable copper [from liver and shelfish] play a huge role in regulating iron ferrous to ferric iron. - EastWest Healing

Low iron and Low iron saturation –a sign your iron recycling programing is slowing down in response to a deficiency in bio-available copper [from liver and shelfish]. - East West Healing

Iron is regulated by bio-available copper and vitamin A. - EastWest Healing

Sunlight or Redlight
Regular good light exposure is probably important for preventing the displacement of copper by iron. - Ray Peat

Things that lower iron
We are always shedding iron from intestines and skin cells. - Ray Peat (Patrick Timpone interview 2020-08)

Vitamin E and aspirin are two extremely effective ways of lowering iron levels in both tissues and brain. - Georgi Dinkov
‐-‐--------------------,------
"Low ferritin means low iron stores. Whether that means lower inflammation is not always clear but testing CRP and ESR would tell you that. In general, the lower the ferritin the lower inflammation since iron plays such a prominent role in inflammatory reactions." - Haidut
---------------------------------
HANS ON IRON:

Here's an article on how to interpret your iron test results: How to interpret your iron panel blood test for optimal energy and health » MENELITE
Your ferritin is higher than desired and your saturation is low. So this could mean you have inflammation and/or low copper. Copper is needed to mobilize the iron from stores, which will increase saturation.
Inflammation lowers saturation and increases ferritin. If you have inflammation, then it doesn't necessarily mean you have an iron overload, just because your ferritin is too high.
A TSH of 1.71 isn't bad, but it can be lower. Cold hands indicate that you have elevated noradrenaline. Noradrenaline can block the effect T3 and also convert T4 into rT3, which further inhibit T3's actions.
Carbs and salt are two of the best ways to lower noradrenaline.
Low iron, zinc and selenium can lead to low T3 levels, which might then increase the requirements of noradrenaline.
-------------------------

GEN ENERGY #60, at 26 minutes- iron discussion
--------------------

 

[pure1instinct]

I have been accumulating iron info. I had very high sat % at one point. I have brought it down, I think it was caused by high estrogen. Here are some quotes from Ray Peat, Danny Roddy, Haidut, Hans, East West Healing. Maybe they will help you:


IRON

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
-------‐------------
think improving nutrition in general might be a better idea than addressing iron directly since people can have a high level of stored iron combined with a low level of red blood cells. One should be eating gelatin, liver, oysters, shrimps, fruits, cooked green vegetables, etc. (e.g.: Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, copper, zinc, magnesium, selenium, etc. ). Here are a few articles/quotes which might help:

Ray Peat on copper deficiency and iron, their relationship
Ray Peat - Iron's dangers
Danny Roddy - Iron Overload, Perturbed Redox Balance, and Meddling Serotonin

On Anemia
Anemia in itself doesn't imply that there is a nutritional need for iron. - Ray Peat

It is possible to have too much iron in the blood while being anemic. - Ray Peat

Anemic means lacking blood, in the sense of not having enough red blood cells or hemoglobin. - Ray Peat

Most people define anemia as low iron, but should be classifying it as low bio-available copper causing increased saturation of iron in the tissues. - EastWest Healing

Thyroid
Abnormal thyroid status can affect ferritin level, without necessarily affecting your iron load. - Ray Peat

High estrogen
High estrogen causes hypoxia which in turn causes iron accumulation. - Danny Roddy (paraphrased from Ray Peat)

Copper and Vitamin A
Too much iron and too much stress makes us lose copper. -Ray Peat

The copper in oysters is protective against iron excess. - Ray Peat

Copper defends agains activated iron. Copper can turn ferrous iron back into the safer ferric iron. - Ray Peat

Vitamin A and bioavailable copper [from liver and shelfish] play a huge role in regulating iron ferrous to ferric iron. - EastWest Healing

Low iron and Low iron saturation –a sign your iron recycling programing is slowing down in response to a deficiency in bio-available copper [from liver and shelfish]. - East West Healing

Iron is regulated by bio-available copper and vitamin A. - EastWest Healing

Sunlight or Redlight
Regular good light exposure is probably important for preventing the displacement of copper by iron. - Ray Peat

Things that lower iron
We are always shedding iron from intestines and skin cells. - Ray Peat (Patrick Timpone interview 2020-08)

Vitamin E and aspirin are two extremely effective ways of lowering iron levels in both tissues and brain. - Georgi Dinkov
‐-‐--------------------,------
"Low ferritin means low iron stores. Whether that means lower inflammation is not always clear but testing CRP and ESR would tell you that. In general, the lower the ferritin the lower inflammation since iron plays such a prominent role in inflammatory reactions." - Haidut
---------------------------------
HANS ON IRON:

Here's an article on how to interpret your iron test results: How to interpret your iron panel blood test for optimal energy and health » MENELITE
Your ferritin is higher than desired and your saturation is low. So this could mean you have inflammation and/or low copper. Copper is needed to mobilize the iron from stores, which will increase saturation.
Inflammation lowers saturation and increases ferritin. If you have inflammation, then it doesn't necessarily mean you have an iron overload, just because your ferritin is too high.
A TSH of 1.71 isn't bad, but it can be lower. Cold hands indicate that you have elevated noradrenaline. Noradrenaline can block the effect T3 and also convert T4 into rT3, which further inhibit T3's actions.
Carbs and salt are two of the best ways to lower noradrenaline.
Low iron, zinc and selenium can lead to low T3 levels, which might then increase the requirements of noradrenaline.
-------------------------

GEN ENERGY #60, at 26 minutes- iron discussion
--------------------

Excellent! Thank you for this.

You mentioned you were able to get your saturation lowered. What did you do to lower it? Also, did lowering it improve any symptoms you may have had?

 

[sunny]

My sat % had been creeping up every year. It finally got over the top of the range. I am a woman. I started taking progest-e cyclical monthly. I was definitely estrogen dominant. I think it was reducing the estrogen level that brought the sat% down.

 

[sunny]

This is from a Danny Roddy the other day- "lost conversations with Ray Peat- talking about blood donations:

"If a person had a high iron saturation, say 60%, would that be something safe to do?

Ray Peat: Yeah.

Danny Roddy: You said before that should be around 25% to protect from cancer?

Ray Peat: Yeah. 25 or 30% is okay.

Danny Roddy: Do you have any idea, the average percent, that number decreases from blood donation?

Ray Peat: I've seen a few people edge it down a little bit but it takes a long time to, if they're at 50 over four or five donations, they can get it down to 30."

 

[sunny]

I'm not sure of Peats recommendation for serum iron and ferritin. Maybe someone will chime in with that.

 

[pure1instinct]

My sat % had been creeping up every year. It finally got over the top of the range. I am a woman. I started taking progest-e cyclical monthly. I was definitely estrogen dominant. I think it was reducing the estrogen level that brought the sat% down.

That’s good to know it helped. Did you happen to have gut disturbances when it was high? I’ve had more gut issues recently and I was reading the excess iron can feed gut pathogens.

 

[sunny]

I'll look back to see what my serum and ferritin were. I don't remember them being terribly out of wack at the time of the high saturation, I also had HDL that was slightly over the high range. After the progest-e, and lowered estrogen, my hdl went to mid range. I have slow motility mostly, lifelong .