Définition
Ferritin is the body's iron storage protein — the best single marker of iron stores. Women are uniquely prone to low ferritin through menstruation, with symptoms (fatigue, hair loss, cold intolerance, exercise intolerance) often appearing well before hemoglobin drops into anemia range.
Ferritin stores iron in a bioavailable but non-toxic form, primarily in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. A small amount circulates in blood, where it can be measured as a proxy for total body iron stores. Unlike hemoglobin (which is the downstream consequence of iron status), ferritin reflects the reservoir — making it the earliest and most sensitive iron marker.
The complication: ferritin is also an acute phase reactant, meaning it rises with inflammation independent of iron status. A woman with anemia and chronic inflammation may have falsely "normal" ferritin that masks underlying iron deficiency. In those cases, additional markers (transferrin saturation, soluble transferrin receptor, hs-CRP) provide context.
Target ranges matter. Conventional labs flag ferritin below 15 ng/mL, but functional iron deficiency symptoms (fatigue, poor exercise recovery, hair thinning, restless legs, brain fog) typically appear below 30–50 ng/mL. Optimal for active women is 50–100 ng/mL. Ferritin above 150 ng/mL in women can indicate iron overload or inflammatory elevation and warrants investigation.
Women are uniquely prone to low ferritin through menstrual blood loss — each period causes loss of 10–20mg of iron, and women with heavy periods lose considerably more. The combination of menstrual loss, plant-forward eating patterns (plant iron is non-heme and less bioavailable), and the relatively low dietary iron in modern diets produces widespread low ferritin in women without obvious anemia.
Correction strategies: iron-rich foods with vitamin C for absorption (red meat, liver, clams, spinach cooked with tomato), iron cookware, addressing heavy bleeding, and supplemental iron when needed. For supplements, iron bisglycinate is better tolerated than ferrous sulfate, and alternate-day dosing (rather than daily) produces better absorption. L. plantarum 299v with meals increases non-heme iron absorption approximately 50%. Rechecking ferritin every 3–4 months during correction allows titration.
Termes associés
Ava Longevity · Built on the Ava Method · MMXXV