boosting iron levels

[shootingstar]

From the City of Toronto Public Health Dept. http://www.toronto.ca/health/pdf/loadingup.pdf List of iron rich foods with meat and vegetarian options.

Knotted and UK: hope your iron levels are up. Got my results today..back to normal at 127. 2 months ago at 91...which was abit too low.

(During required iron supplement intake period, I found myself only taken 1 per day, instead of Dr.'s prescribed 2 per day.)

[Dianyla]

I've been struggling with low iron going on two decades now, caused by heavy menstrual losses. I'm able to keep my ferritin levels above 25 most of the time, but only with a lot of work. I already cook on cast iron and have never been a vegetarian. I take oral iron almost daily.

Optimizing your absorption of iron can get pretty complicated.

To enhance absorption: Take it with B12+folate, Vitamin C, and heme-iron containing animal foods. Darker red meats are good, liver is the best. I get a pate at the farmer's market at least once a month. Chelated (with amino acids) or carbonyl forms of iron supplements are not as harsh on the stomach and GI tract as iron salts (ferrous sulfate, gluconate, whatever-ate).

Avoid taking it with: Certain medications are negatively affected by being taken within 6 hours of iron (most notably for me is thyroid medication). Molecularly similar metals (zinc, cobalt, molybdenum, etc.) compete with iron receptors and reduce absorption of iron. Most importantly, avoid taking it with foods that are high in polyphenols, because these bind non-heme iron and reduce absorption as well. Notable sources of polyphenols include berries, tea, beer, grapes/wine, olive oil, chocolate/cocoa, coffee, walnuts, peanuts, borojo, pomegranates, popcorn, yerba mate, and other fruits and vegetables.

How about an iron shot? Pills you have to take forever to have an effect.

Because of everything I've just mentioned, I'm talking to my doctor about an iron sucrose (Venofer) infusion. The older Dextran forms of intravenous iron have a higher high potential for anaphylaxis, but newer iron sucrose seems to be much better tolerated by lots of patients. It's still only officially approved for anemia management in dialysis patients, but more and more healthcare practitioners are realizing that it's extremely useful for people with chronic low iron as well as acute iron depletion (postpartum, surgery, etc).

[shootingstar]

Wow Dianyla. Hope you find a more body-sustainable solution for low iron.

I've had low iron levels at different times in life over the past few decades but didn't do anything different foodwise nor take any iron supplements. This time was the first time the doctor clearly put me on a regime with a deadline so my level was probably low enough, combined with my age..

The fact that I am in perimenopause for past 2 yrs. where my periods are now lighter, not heavier, probably caused doctor to make sure I take abit of action and be retested again for iron improvement.

I also had stool tests to ensure I was not losing blood/iron (via stool) for totally different other reasons. She probably wanted to ensure it wasn't colon malignacies ...

[KnottedYet]

My iron is hovering around 22.

Been taking it with Vit C, in the evening, but didn't know it absorbs better with B12 (which I also take). I'll have to play with the timing of my various vits and see if I can raise my iron up without having to take more of the stuff!

[uk elephant]

Don't know what kind of iron measurements/skales the doctor used. He said 10-100 was normal and that I was at 11 which seems very low if it's on the same scale as yours. Hmmm....I will make a list of questions for the specialist on Tuesday.

Not sure if anything is working yet, but I'm eating spinach every day and increasing my red meat intake. Also having pate or red meat (pastrami) most days with my lunch. Tried to buy a cast iron pot, but the shop was out. Will pick one up in a week or two when they've got them in again. But reading your post, Dianyla, I'm not sure I'm doing very well after all considering all the things on your list of "avoid taking with". I drink a lot of tea (live in UK after all) and eat a fair bit of chocolate, fruit and berries. Hmm... wonder if the doctor can hook me up with a nutritionist to sort this out....

[Dianyla]

Don't know what kind of iron measurements/skales the doctor used. He said 10-100 was normal and that I was at 11 which seems very low if it's on the same scale as yours. Hmmm....I will make a list of questions for the specialist on Tuesday.

I'm referring to the serum ferritin, in units of ng/mL. Ferritin is a protein that binds a molecule of iron for long-term storage in your body, and it is the best indicator of your bodily iron stores.

Here's what I know about ferritin results ranges:
<12: Unmeasurable/undetectable. You probably feel like crap.
12-20: This is clinically deficient, any doctor will agree that you are too low in iron.
20-30: This is subclinical iron deficiency, you may still feel crappy but many doctors will tell you you're "fine" because the diagnostic criteria for anemia is below 20.
30-60: There is some debate about whether this is an adequate amount of ferritin. Some research shows that ferritin can still be in this range even if your liver and bone marrow stores of iron are depleted - especially in athletes.
60-100: Very good chance that you've got adequate iron stores in your blood, bone marrow, and liver. However other deficiencies (notably B12) can still cause pernicious anemia, undersized (microcytic) red blood cells, etc.

(ETA: I didn't mention this initially because we're discussing low iron, but it's worth pointing out that ferritin above 200 can indicate hemochromatosis - a hereditary iron overload disorder.)

[Dianyla]

But reading your post, Dianyla, I'm not sure I'm doing very well after all considering all the things on your list of "avoid taking with". I drink a lot of tea (live in UK after all) and eat a fair bit of chocolate, fruit and berries. Hmm... wonder if the doctor can hook me up with a nutritionist to sort this out....

It's OK to eat these foods (thank goodness! ) just not within a few hours of taking your oral iron supplements.