3259: What to Run for Your Iron Levels on Bloodwork

January 7, 2025

3259: What to Run for Your Iron Levels on Bloodwork

January 7, 2025

TWT: What to Run for Your Iron Levels on Bloodwork

Do these common symptoms sound familiar?

– Fatigue and low energy
– Hair thinning
– Dizziness
– Cold hands and feet
– Brittle or spoon-shaped nails

These are all common signs that you might have low iron levels.

But how can you be sure?

Conventional medicine often tests just one factor of iron deficiency, leaving out the full picture of what’s happening in your body.

So on today’s Cabral Concept 3259, I’ll walk you through the exact bloodwork labs you need to assess your iron levels properly so you can address the issue and restore balance to your body. Enjoy the show, and let me know your thoughts!

Show Highlights & Big Takeaways

Serum Iron
- Measures the amount of circulating iron in the blood.
Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC)
- Assesses the blood's capacity to bind iron with transferrin, which reflects iron transport availability.
Transferrin Saturation
- Calculated by dividing serum iron by TIBC. It indicates the percentage of transferrin that is bound with iron.
Ferritin
- Measures stored iron in the body. Ferritin is the most reliable marker for iron deficiency or iron overload.
Unsaturated Iron-Binding Capacity (UIBC)
- Reflects the reserve capacity of transferrin to bind more iron.
- UIBC = TIBC - Serum Iron.
Hemoglobin (Hb)
- Measures the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. Low hemoglobin suggests anemia, which may result from iron deficiency.
Hematocrit (Hct)
- Indicates the percentage of blood composed of red blood cells. Often assessed alongside hemoglobin.
Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)
- Measures the size of red blood cells. Low MCV can indicate microcytic anemia due to iron deficiency.
Red Blood Cell Count (RBC)
- Measures the number of red blood cells in the blood.