I have been deeply exploring iron metabolism these past two years, and wow, have I learnt a lot. It really has got me wondering about the reliability of institutionally derived education. After all, we only need to look at where the 'funding' of education is coming from to get a sense of where the education is leading us. Alas, I digress.
Things to know about iron
iron is the most abundant mineral in the earth's crust so why are so many diagnosed anaemic?
24mg of our daily requirement of 25mg comes from recycled red blood cells (RBCs)
iron metabolism (recycling) depends on functional caeruloplasmin (copper bound to a protein)
unhealthy RBC's have a reduced lifespan-from 120 days to as few as 40 days
without adequate caeruloplasmin iron gets locked in the cell resulting in rust on the inside
despite ferritin NOT being an adequate or reliable marker of iron status many practitoners use it to diagnose iron deficiency anaemia.
70% of your iron is stored in haemoglobin, about 5% or less in ferritin
Pregnant or Planning?
Something I've recently noticed is how hard iron is being pushed onto pregnant women.
It is well known that ferritin levels drop at 8 months gestation, which is when women are typically encouraged to test. A well conducted study of thousands of women worldwide found that the best outcomes, healthiest babies, easiest births, best lactation were associated with a drop in ferritin at 8 months gestation, i.e. that it is a normal physiological event in a healthy pregnancy that protects mum and bub.
Unfortunately, our medical experts aren't aware of this, often prescribing high doses of iron or iron infusions which is iron-ic as it's well known that ferritin levels typically don't respond to iron supplementation. And given that ferritin is not a reliable means to assess iron status it begs the question, how have they got it so wrong?
What is worse, the developing child has no protection against the massive influx of iron, which is correlated with failure to thrive, ADHD & autism and in severe cases, death.
There is no right answer to a wrong question.
Without assessing or considering the nutritional co-factors required for optimal iron metabolism we are completely misguided. Mostly ferritin is measured to determine iron status despite 70% of iron being bound in haemoglobin. So many people are told they are anaemic (based on ferritin measurements) despite having healthy & adequate amounts of haemoglobin. There is no right answer to a wrong question.
In a nutshell
Essentially, caeruloplasmin is necessary if we are to harness the energy (in oxygen) that iron transports. It's akin to having a V8 super car with an empty fuel tank. Or a horse and cart without the horse. Copper is the horse, iron is the cart.
If caeruloplasmin is missing then iron will not be handled properly, it'll oxidise, while we rust on the inside.
Numerous factors impair your ability to produce caeruloplasmin
polyunsaturated fatty acids AKA seed oils
flouride
low fat diets
ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate (synthetic Vit C supplements)
multi vitamins and B-complex (if syhthetic)
HRT, hormonal birth control
antibiotics
vitamin D supplements
This is not an exhaustive list!
Have you been taking iron or told you have high or low ferritin?
If you have a history of iron supplementation or infusions or you've been told your ferritin is too low or too high then most likely your iron is not recycling adequately. You may not be able to fully harness the energy that is bound up with iron and you could even be building up excess iron stores in your liver....a leading cause of fatty liver disease.
I use a method to assess how well the iron recycling system is working- it involves specific blood tests, not the ones your doctor uses, and looking for 'optimal' levels, not the standard lab reference ranges.
If you have concerns about your iron metabolism and are not sure about what to do next we can chat. You can get me on 0449 569 064.
If you're keen to deep dive, charge your engine and start recycling your iron as nature intended book a session here.
コメント