Iron Profile Blood Test, 4 in 1 Home Kit – £39

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Where is it to be found?

It is one of the most important minerals in our body. We must absorb them through nutrition.

Our bodies contain around 4-5 grams of iron bound to the red pigment haemoglobin.

What is it used for?

Every cell in our body requires Fe. It helps transport oxygen and form blood in the body. Haemoglobin carries the oxygen from the lungs into the entire body, and without it, our body would produce less haemoglobin. This is how it provides us with energy. Also, it is great for your skin, hair, and nails as it is involved in your immune system and the smooth progress of your pregnancy; therefore, a Fe checkup is needed.

What is the requirement?

Women have a greater need due to menstruation, as they also lose it with the body. Starting from menopause, women reduce their needs.

The US National Institute of Health offers similar recommendations, advising vegetarians to multiply the recommended daily intake by 1.8.

Risk groups: Who is at high risk?

Some people are susceptible to deficiency 5,9 for various reasons such as 10–12:

Pregnant and breastfeeding women need it more: blood is necessary for the baby to be born, and then for breast milk; older adults, in some cases, may suffer from a lack of appetite and chewing problems, thus causing a lack of nutrients, vegetarians and vegans do not consume it from foods of animal origin, which the body can absorb very well; people who suffer from chronic gastrointestinal disorders often do not absorb it appropriately;

Professional athletes have a higher requirement and often follow a low-quality diet.

If you belong to one of the risk groups, check your daily supply with a home kit. You should not take any supplements before going to the laboratory. Otherwise, you can run the risk of excess and hemochromatosis.

What are the symptoms?

Without enough oxygen in your body, less oxygen will be supplied to cells, and those that don’t receive enough oxygen produce less energy and have limited functions. For example, if your brain doesn’t have enough oxygen, concentration problems and fatigue can happen.

Some other symptoms:

• hair loss,
• brittle nails,
• chapped corners of the mouth;
• weakness,
• reduced performance,
• headache;
• Deficiency anaemia.

Anaemia and hair loss

A possible consequence of deficiency is hair loss. It is vital information, and hair needs a lot.

Scientific results

It’s easy to tell about a deficiency: your body consumes more than it receives, and reserves are depleted. Possible causes are blood loss, a poor diet, and an increased need, for example, during pregnancy or in competitive sports.

With anaemia, haemoglobin is not produced in sufficient quantities. For this reason, it can only transport oxygen through the body to a limited extent.

Loss

The body loses it if you have injuries, dialysis, menstruation, internal bleeding or if you donate blood. Intestinal tumours and other gastrointestinal disorders might cause internal bleeding.

Low level during pregnancy

Pregnant women must supply more blood and oxygen to the uterus, placenta, and embryo, especially towards the end of pregnancy. The body of a pregnant woman must produce 30/40 per cent more.

The scientists are still unsure how deficiency affects the child. Some studies suggest that anaemia increases the risk of disorders for the mother and baby and increases the likelihood of premature births and miscarriages 20. In other studies, children whose mothers took supplements during pregnancy were born of a natural birth.

In competitive athletes

Studies show that professional and ambitious athletes need it more, especially during endurance sports. There are several theories on why athletes need more: higher volume, sweat production, and small haemorrhages in the vessels of the feet.

Deficiency Exam

If you can, check for a deficiency. A laboratory can determine several values. A haemoglobin value shows how much of it circulates in the body.

GPs often check for ferritin levels and their storage form. This suggests a general supply.

The cerascreen

The Cerascreen® Iron checkup is an exam for ferritin and the stored level. You can conduct this exam at home using our kit. It is very easy to take the exam; you take a small amount of blood from your fingertip and send the sample by post to our laboratory. Here, the ferritin levels will be determined, and the report will indicate whether the levels are within the normal range.

Fe-rich diet and supplements

4 Vegetarian sources:

• yogurt with fruits + oats + a glass of orange juice
• curry with red lentils or chickpeas
• hummus +(lemon juice)
• salad with millet, goat cheese, vegetables and herbs

Are your levels too low?

A change in diet is often a solution. If this is not enough, or you have a severe deficiency or disorders associated with deficiency, supplements may be helpful.

Foods rich in it?

It is found in animal products: herring, pork, beef liver, and chicken eggs are particularly rich.

The following foods are the richest:

Salty harangues

• Pork liver
• Amaranth
• Quinoa
• Lentils
• Egg whites
• Beef liver
• Sorghum
• Soya beans
• Chanterelles
• White beans
• Oats
• Peas

For those who like sweets, 25 grams of dark chocolate allows your body to release happiness hormones and supplies you with three milligrams.

Fe and vitamin C

Vitamin C is very good for your Fe as it helps absorb it in the intestine, and a glass of orange juice can help. Another option: Make a green smoothie with fresh fruit and high-iron spinach or kale.

Supplements

You should not take supplements based on suspicion. Too much can be harmful to your health. You should check your supply first, for example, by consulting a doctor or conducting a home test.

When do I need infusions or injections?

For some people, Fe test helps know when supplements aren’t enough to replenish stores, Doctors can monitor the valuin these cases and administer injections or infusions at high doses.

Traditional supplements may not be effective when :

• The intestine struggles to absorb it;
• The amount of red pigment must be increased quickly. This may be necessary, for example, in women in the third trimester of pregnancy;
• you have chronic bleeding, normally due to hereditary diseases such as Osler syndrome.

Too much

There may also be too much circulating in the body. Doctors call it hemochromatosis, the iron retention disease. Genetics are often to blame: the body retains too much due to a genetic defect. Other rarer causes are liver disease and impaired blood formation. People who receive donations can also develop excess.

Excess can cause symptoms that affect the entire body, such as the bronze colouring of the skin. It also increases the risk of disorders such as :

• liver disorders;
• cardiac arrhythmia;
• type 2 diabetes.

Blood letting helps prevent these consequences. The doctor draws 500 millilitres once or twice weekly to empty the reserves. If levels drop, samples may be taken less frequently. Despite this, treatment must be conducted throughout life 30.