Genetic inability to absorb iron?

Although difficult to diagnose without a biopsy of the upper intestines, there is a condition/disease called "celiac" or "celiac-sprue", a type of immune-system dysfunction where the body is allergic to gluten and wheat which then flatten the villai(sp?) of the intestines, destroying your iron absorption capabilities. Ther is a celiac.com site. Pain in the neck to give up gluten in your diet but it has worked quite well for a friend of mine: iron levels shot up; fatigue disappeared.

Vitamin C (asorbic acid) is not the only iron "enhancer" but also Vitamin B12, and folic acid, as well as other B vitamins.

I take a prescription iron, the label looks like this:

Trinsicon

Hematinic Concentration with Intrisic Factor

Special liver-stomach concentrate 240 mg

Vitamin B12 15 mcg

Iron, elemental ferrous fumerate 110 mg

Ascorbic Acid 75 mg

Folic Acid .5 mg

with other factors of vitamin B complex present in the liver stomach concentrate

take 2 a day.

It is used with people who have pernicious anemia, the inability to absorb iron effectively by the liver.

There are also liquid iron prescription.

Often takin ferrous sulphate and orange juice is not enough.

My iron stores doubled from 20 to 40 in 8 weeks on 2 a day, no caffeine.

Good luck - you need that iron to run well

Unless there the teammates are sisters I doubt that there would be a genetic cause. Are you sure that the supplements and red meat are actually making their way through the entire digestive track as opposed to going in and out the same way?

Yes, I'm sure that no eating disorders are involved, if that's what you're implying. And no, they are not sisters either. (I'm from CO also, by the way!) Thank you to everyone for the advice. I'll be sure to check out your suggestions.

Please have these girls see a Doctor. There is a condition in which the body cannot absorb iron. Iron is not water soluble like, say, vitamin c, so iron not absorbed is not necessarily excreted. If it is not excreted and not absorbed into the bloodsream it will increase in the body to toxic levels if oversupplemented. This is a rare condition but a deadly one. I've said this before, anyone who posts on this board a solution to a medical condition should be brought up on charges for practicing without a license.

I will strongly second van's recommendation. With a ferritin reading of 10 these women must be very fatigued and running poorly?

I had chronic anemia related to problems with wheat, bu also dairy and sugar. Unfortunately, many doctors and nutritionists are not up to par on this. ten years of little or no wheat and I am much healthier with reasonable iron levels.

Try to deal with the situation using tried and tested formulas before looking for exotic reasons for not absorbing iron.

A serum ferittin level below 20 for women, below 30 for men means they are not experiencing the appropriate cellular adaptation to training stimulus.

Try using liquid ferrous sulphate cut into orange juice 2to 3 times per day as tolerated.

Also avoid taking any high fiber food at the same time as this will inhibit absorbtion. Do not take any other mineral supplement within 4 hours as this will compete for the same receptor site in the small intestine.

Also take a high quality B vitamin supplement, suggest a B 50 and take these supplements over a reasonable amount of time to give them chance to work.

If when retested there is no significant improvement have them talk to their doctor about possibly getting a couple of iron shots. This is the quick fix but there are risks involved and they need to be made aware of them.

Do not ignore this condition, if they do they will never run to their potential.