How to raise low ferritin

What does low ferritin mean?

Ferritin is a protein that stores iron. Hemoglobin uses iron to carry oxygen in your blood. Doctors often check both when someone reports persistent fatigue. Together, the results show whether iron stores have fallen and whether anemia has developed.

The World Health Organization (WHO) sets the ferritin threshold for otherwise healthy adults. Levels below 15 micrograms per liter indicate iron deficiency.

Find out where the iron went

Heavy periods are a common reason iron stores fall. Regular blood donations can also drain them. Sometimes the loss is harder to spot. Bleeding from the stomach or intestines can go unnoticed. Celiac disease can limit how much iron the gut absorbs.

Tell your doctor about heavy bleeding, recent donations or changes in your digestion. Finding the cause can help keep iron levels from dropping again after treatment.

What should you eat to get more iron?

The U.S. National Institutes of Health lists beef, chicken and seafood as iron sources. An 85-gram serving of pan-fried beef liver provides about 5 milligrams of iron. Meat, poultry and seafood contain both heme and nonheme iron. Your body absorbs heme iron more easily.

Plant foods provide nonheme iron. For a meatless meal, try lentils, white beans, kidney beans, peas or spinach. Nuts and raisins also provide iron. Some manufacturers add iron to bread and breakfast cereals, so check the label.

What you eat alongside these foods matters. Vitamin C helps your body absorb more iron from plants. Add bell peppers to a bean salad or tomatoes to lentil soup. At breakfast, top iron-fortified cereal with strawberries. Eating meat, poultry or seafood with beans can also help you absorb the beans’ iron.

Iron-rich meals can support recovery. If blood tests confirm iron deficiency, doctors usually recommend iron supplements as well.

What can interfere with iron absorption?

Tea, coffee and cocoa can reduce how much iron you absorb from plant foods. Decaf tea and coffee can have the same effect. Calcium in milk, yogurt and cheese may also reduce iron absorption during a meal.

Whole grains, bran, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds contain compounds called phytates. These can limit how much plant iron you absorb. Many of these foods also provide iron, so keep them in your diet. Pairing lentils with tomatoes or bell peppers helps your body absorb more iron.

Timing also matters if you take ferrous sulfate tablets. The UK’s National Health Service recommends a two-hour gap. After your dose, wait two hours before having tea, coffee, eggs or dairy products.

When should you check ferritin again?

Hemoglobin can recover before iron stores fill back up. For moderate or severe anemia, doctors may recheck hemoglobin after two to four weeks. That early test shows whether treatment is working.

Even after hemoglobin recovers, you may need iron for several more months. British Columbia’s clinical guidelines suggest rechecking ferritin 3 to 6 months after hemoglobin returns to normal. That follow-up shows whether treatment has rebuilt your iron stores.

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