Ferritin Levels

think wrote:

13 and 6 ng/ml is very dangerous. These girls need to stop running until their ferritin levels reach at least 40.

you're nuts that is not true.. I've had all Americans who supplemented twice a day and couldn't achieve ferritin higher than 28.

13 and 6....you feel like crap but it isn't "very dangerous." where do you get your info?

I hope you realize that 6 ng/ml is virtually completely Iron deficient. Iron is principal for transporting oxygen in blood to cells and muscle and creating new red blood cells. With "almost" zero ng/ml in the body it is impossible to keep basic daily energy and function let alone try to run and train at a high level. It can lead to other problems such as hypothyroidism. Supplementation is very important, given it is ferrous gluconate and not sulfate which is the harshest form of Iron on the stomach. If you are approaching zero that could possibly lead to hospitalization. I know many boys and girls on college and high school level that careers ended due to iron deficiency because they could never duplicate past performances after a ferritin tank! If you don't supplement correctly and adjust diet, it can be very hard to get levels back into acceptable training range. There are many many many runners who are on the edge which is around thirty. 40 plus is preferable. I run 90+ a week and my last ferritin test was 92.

Get them off of dairy, processed, and red meats ASAP. Also, have them take iron supplements with 2 servings of fruit, and also have them take sublingual b12 tabs or drops. ASAP

I KNOW ALL THAT. But I hope YOU realize kids drop into single digits every year on almost every team and don't suffer catastrophic health consequences.

palmtree wrote:

Have them checked for celiac disease.

I second this recommendation. My father was a competitive runner in the 70s and 80s and struggled with anemia his whole career. Turns out he had Celiac but wasn't diagnosed until after he retired.

Well my sister found out when she was pregnant that she had a double iron gene many years back. Dad paid no attention that is why he is in the trouble he is in now. My brother saw his high numbers but shrugged his shoulders, ain't no way he will give up the good life.

My brother used to be able to run 49/1:52 for 400m/800m.

As for what challenges it causes, apart from what I have already said strangely I have really high hemoglobin and hematocrit levels.

The main point I was trying to make is that teenagers may have lower iron levels then us adults naturally, they are all made of rubber & glue and are fired by rechargeable batteries don'the forget.

Low ferritin does not necessarily mean that higher iron intake resolves the issue.

Ferritin is a powerful antioxidant reserve and your athletes

may be depleting ferritin from training or impact stress or chronic inflammation.

I would encourage your runners to back off on the iron (an oxidant) and replace those antioxidant supplements with healthful fruits and vegetables. This will better serve your runner's antioxidant reserves better than high dose supplements. Read the article below and let me know if you have more questions,

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC340385/

dsrunner

Get the levels back wrote:

Get them off of dairy, processed, and red meats ASAP. Also, have them take iron supplements with 2 servings of fruit, and also have them take sublingual b12 tabs or drops. ASAP

This seems implausible except for the b12. There's no harm in adding some b12 as your body flushes what it doesn't use.

If it's a real issue, the athlete is not feeling well, and the parents are in the loop, getting an idea of what the diet is in the house would be good.

Beyond that, the celiac test would be good, but don't expect that to be THE answer.

BTW, good on OP for doing your job well.

XC Coach wrote:

I wonder what is causing y'alls numbers to be elevated. Does having elevated values cause you any challenges?

Public Service Announcement:

If ferritin is highly elevated (>200) for a long period of time, or high and rising, that's often an indication of an iron disorder (e.g., hemochromatosis). It's estimated that >1 million Americans, esp. those of English / northern European descent.

I was diagnosed with hemochromatosis in my 30s - including liver cirrhosis. Fine now after a year of giving blood weekly to bring my iron level down.

Training was tough, but you know something's weird when you're giving blood a lot and your hemoglobin and hematocrit remain constant.

I'm fine now - but anyone who has high ferritin should definitely get tested. Prolonged high blood iron leads to liver, pancreas, and other organ damage.

pop_pop!_v2.2.1 wrote:

If it's a real issue, the athlete is not feeling well, and the parents are in the loop, getting an idea of what the diet is in the house would be good.

As someone who has to maintain *low* blood iron (due to hemochromatosis), there are some foods / drinks that suppress iron absorption.

If the athlete drinks a lot of coffee or tea or iced tea, these can prevent full iron absorption. Calcium and zinc can also suppress iron absorption. Other foods can too (e.g., oxalates in spinach, kale, beets, basil, strawberries, rhubarb, etc.)

I disagree completely with skipping red meat. It's much easier to absorb iron from red meat (heme-iron) than from veggies or vitamin pills.

Overall, it sounds like these girls are anemic and looking at diet is a good strategy.

txRUNNERgirl wrote:

Have them try liquid iron. It's easier to absorb. I take FeroSul Ferrous Sulfate Elixir. Still, I've only gone from 11 to 36 in 2.5 years.

I would second this, order it from Amazon, a supply that lasts a few months is like $10. I was down to like a 6 at one point in college and was taking the liquid iron in a glass of OJ (make sure its not calcium fortified) every morning and every night to get it up to the mid-teens. I don't get my ferritin checked regularly anymore because I'm not seriously competing anymore but I still take iron regularly because I notice a major drop in my energy levels when I don't.