Some Question

[petertohen]

Hello. So, after years of doing Peat stuff, I feel some improvements but overall issues remain. I developed anemia at some point, and lab tests have repeatedly shown results of Total Iron, Saturation %, and Ferritin all very low. The anemia is macrocytic, and my B6 didn't test low. Are there any plausible explanations for these lab patterns other than real iron deficiency that someone can suggest?

I became aware of the iron deficiency after I had a massive pulmonary embolism. I had to be on warfarin at first and I recently came off it thinking that a high dose of Vitamin E, aspirin and Vitamin K would be safer for preventing and dissolving clots. I hadn't been able to find any other explanations to ponder for the iron labwork, so I decided to supplement Iron Bisglycinate, 50mg/day, for a month, and see if it changes anything. So, after a month of that, I stopped and got another iron panel. Not only did no values go up, but they went just slightly down.

My questions:
1. Any other possible explanations for the iron lab patterns? I don't want to go supplementing iron more if it's not relatively certain I'm deficient.
2. Does Vitamin E deplete iron stores? I have heard conflicting things about this. I might have prevented the supplement from working and even lowered my levels by taking 1600IU Vitamin E, if so, even though I took them about 10 hours apart to avoid absorption issues.
Vitamin E Can Deplete Iron Stores?
3. I have encountered information stating that iron deficiency can cause clotting events. If this is true and was the cause of mine, I need to take quite different measures from the ones usually prescribed from a Peat point of view. And if Vitamin E also depletes iron then I should stop taking it or lower it.
4. Can we have a level-headed discussion about this in the Peat community? I imagine I could have induced a real deficiency through inflammation and iron-inhibiting diet. And it could explain why the hardcore Peating I've been doing for years hasn't had much greater results.

Most recent iron panel:
Total Iron: 20
Saturation %: 5
Ferritin: 8

 

[Peatful]

I just read a plausible explanation today from a comment haidut posted in a migraine thread.
Too much milk (milk or possibly too much calcium) can deplete iron stores.
Look for his comment in the Acetaldehyde migraine thread....

 

[Xisca]

I imagine I could have induced a real deficiency through inflammation and iron-inhibiting diet. And it could explain why the hardcore Peating I've been doing for years hasn't had much greater results.

Coffee, even 2 hours after a meal if they told me right, prevent a good iron assimilation.

Being in Europe (and you?) I also suspect that his want to diminish iron comes from a country where iron is very much added to food, so people can have too much. Balance balance!