I have many clients who come to me with low iron levels and despite their best efforts which often includes iron supplementation, they cant seem to increase it.
There is often a lot of detective work that is required to get a true indication of why you have low iron (or ferritin). Taking iron supplementation may help in the short term but iron levels quickly return to low levels because you haven’t addressed the root causes of your iron deficiency.
Here are some to the root causes of low ferritin that we need to consider:
GUT HEALTH
When iron appears low or high, the body releases more pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Inflammation and iron increase hepcidin production. Hepcidin is a hormone that regulates iron balance and is in charge of suppressing iron absorption when there is too much iron stored. If ferritin levels are low, the amount stored in tissue is high, hepcidin will increase to reduce the amount of iron being absorbed. Similarly, when ferritin is high, iron in the tissue is low, and this will cause a decrease in hepcidin so that iron absorption will increase. To help keep hepcidin levels within range, we need to have healthy stomach acid, healthy intestinal track lining, healthy brush border in the gut, healthy digestive enzymes and low levels of inflammation.
Iron can also negatively impact the gut microbiome because it feeds pathogens and increases intestinal inflammation. When exposed to too much iron, our immune system reacts, and an inflammatory response occurs, and we store it in our tissues to protect from potential infection.
COPPER DSYREGULATION CAN CREATE IRON ISSUES
Copper toxicity or biounavailable copper prevents iron from attaching to hemoglobin. We actually need the right form of copper to convert iron from ferric to ferrous form in the gut to be absorbed.
In clinic, I see so many clients with biounavailable copper. We are exposure to copper from birth control including the copper IUD, we drink water from taps with copper pipes, it crosses the placenta during pregnancy, vegetarian diets are often high in copper and lastly a lot of products in our environment mimic oestrogen called xenoestrogens.
It is also important to have strong adrenals to help make a copper binding protein called ceruloplasmin. Ceruloplasmin is needed to help push copper out to the body. If ceruloplasmin is low, copper is pushed into storage and becomes biounavailable. The best way to increase ceuroplasmin, is to eat animal products high in retinol which is converted to ceuroplasmin.
Copper imbalances and adrenal insufficiency could be part of the root cause of your iron issue.
What else can you do to support iron levels?
In clinic we use Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) to assess nutrient status and mineral balance. All minerals need to be within certain ratios to work optimally. When it comes to iron absorption, I like to look closely at copper, zinc, sodium, potassium, B12, molybdenum, adrenal ratio and liver function. Working on all systems in the body is key.
Optimise your gut health. In clinic we use a functional test called GI Mapping. It looks at lots of intestinal markers, parasites, good/bad bacteria and the balance required for a healthy gut.
We also look at stomach acid to ensure you are digesting and absorbing nutrients from food. You need optimal stomach acid to increase iron absorption.
Limit your exposure to iron-fortified foods like grains, cereal and flour. 36% of the planet is made of iron, making it the fourth most common element. Iron can also be found in birth control pills, supplements and the pots and pan used for cooking.
By exploring the root causes of your iron issues, you can make big progress with your health.
Working on the body as a whole and from different angles will help you reach optimal health.
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