Understanding Ferritin How Are Your Blood Iron Stores?

At BodyCarre , in our section on hair loss , we always comment a lot about iron and ferritin as they are important indicators in the blood test, especially for hair health . We’ve been getting a lot of emails lately with questions about ferritin, so we decided to do some more research to answer them.

Ferritin, produced by the liver, is the most important iron store protein and is found in all cells involved in the synthesis of iron compounds and metabolism.

Reference value of ferritin in a Blood Test

Normally, in healthy subjects, the blood ferritin reference value is 16-300 ng / ml in men and 10-161 ng / ml in women .

Ferritin function

The main function of ferritin is to accumulate iron cells, protecting intracellular cells from the toxic effects of metal when free and rapidly mobilizing iron stores . Most of the ferritin in the body is found in cells of the reticuloendothelial system of the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. Smaller but significant amounts are found in the human heart, pancreas, kidney, and blood.

Lack of ferritin

A low level of ferritin is usually related to an iron deficiency and its causes can be:

  • Menstrual bleeding
  • Iron deficiency anemia
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Gastrointestinal bleeding
  • A diet deficient in iron and vitamin C

As one of the most common causes of iron loss is menstruation, the problem of low ferritin is much more common in women.

How to increase ferritin?

For good health , it is ideal if blood tests reveal a ferritin value of at least 50 ng / ml. For the thyroid to function perfectly, it must be at least 70 ng / ml. This reference also applies to hair loss, as a level below 70 ng / ml contributes to an increase in this problem, check the 65 causes that can cause hair loss.

Ideally, to solve the ferritin deficit is to incorporate foods with iron to the diet and combine them with vitamin C when possible. If you already eat well, but your ferritin is still low, you can use iron supplements or else you can try molasses as a more natural alternative.

29 Iron Rich Foods

  1. Green peas
  2. Broad beans
  3. Lentils
  4. Chickpea beans
  5. Broccoli
  6. Beet
  7. Cabbages
  8. screams
  9. Lettuce
  10. Spinach
  11. Cabbage
  12. Potato
  13. Pumpkin
  14. Yam
  15. Oatmeal
  16. Cereal flakes
  17. Sesame seeds
  18. Chestnuts
  19. Almonds
  20. Apricots
  21. Black plums
  22. Brown sugar
  23. Honey
  24. Liver
  25. Red meat
  26. Beef and chicken
  27. Yolk
  28. Sardines
  29. Wholemeal bread

It is important to improve the absorption of iron that they are taken with foods rich in vitamin C, we could put the list here, but we have a specific article with the ranking of the 50 foods with more vitamin C that exist .

Consequences of low ferritin

When ferritin levels are low , anemia can develop as well as a number of symptoms such as fatigue, lack of energy, pale skin, weakness or dizziness, hair loss, and hypothyroidism.

Ferritin excess

Having high ferritin is an even more serious problem than low ferritin. It can indicate an excessive accumulation of iron, but in some cases it is also a symptom of inflammation or infection and is associated with a number of very serious conditions:

  • Cirrhosis
  • Liver cancer
  • Leukemia
  • Arrhythmias
  • Diabetes type 1
  • Myocardial infarction in men
  • Alzheimer disease

Therefore, it is very important that you include the ferritin test in your routine exams . Excess iron is very easy to detect and can prevent serious diseases. Excess ferritin is a common problem in non-menstruating men and women, as menstruation is a form of iron removal.

Treatments to lower ferritin

Symptoms of excess ferritin are usually abdominal or joint pain, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Treatment depends on the cause, but Present Often Supplemented by drawing blood to balance the levels of iron and the adoption of diets With low iron – rich foods or vitamin C . The habit of donating blood, in addition to being a great way to help those in need, is an easy way to avoid excess iron.

What is the difference between serum ferritin and iron?

Ferritin in blood: It is reflected in the size of the body’s iron stores. It is the main protein that stores iron in cells.

Serum iron: Measures the amount of free iron in the blood.

Many people have normal iron dosage and low ferritin. Iron dosage is not as important as ferritin because it is the latter that stores iron so that it can be used by the body.

And you, do you know your dose of ferritin?

Website | + posts

Kathie Sand always saw the world of beauty as the terrain on which to build her professional career, a goal that was clear to her when she was only 15 years old. Her great concern to expand knowledge led her to settle in Paris where she studied hand in hand with the best beauty professionals and with the most advanced techniques for skin care.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top