Three Important labs to check your Iron;

GTT
Ferritin
% Saturation

Do you know what yours are?...   

The serum ferritin test measures your stored iron. I strongly suggest most adults seriously consider getting a serum ferritin test on an annual basis to confirm you’re neither too high nor too low. Keep in mind that (as with many other lab tests) the “normal” ranges for serum ferritin are far from ideal.11 In some labs, a level of 200 to 300 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) falls within the normal range for women and men respectively, which is far too high for optimal health.

An ideal level for adult men and non-menstruating women is between 40 and 60 ng/mL. You do not want to be below 20 ng/mL or above 80 ng/mL. Maintaining a healthy iron level is also very important during pregnancy. Having a level of 60 or 70 ng/mL is associated with greater odds of poor pregnancy outcomes.12 That said, iron deficiency during pregnancy is equally problematic. The most commonly used threshold for iron deficiency in clinical studies is 12 to 15 ng/mL.13

Another valuable test is the serum liver enzyme gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) test. While typically used to assess liver damage, it’s also a screening marker for excess free iron and is a great indicator of your sudden cardiac death risk.

For women, a healthy GGT level is around 9 units per liter (U/L) whereas the high ends of “normal” are generally 40 to 45 U/L. According to Gerry Koenig, former chairman of the Iron Disorders Institute and the Hemochromatosis Foundation,14 women with a GGT above 30 U/L have a higher risk of cancer and autoimmune disease. For men, 16 U/L is ideal, while the normal lab range can go as high as 65 to 70 U/L.15

Last but not least, a percentage transferrin saturation test will also reveal elevated ferritin. Ideally, this value should be between 30 and 40 percent. Above 40 percent, you have iron overload that is likely damaging your mitochondria and really needs to be addressed.  Written by J.Mercola, DO

Chiropractor Los Alamitos

Steven B. Wasserman, RN, DC

www.adjustm.com