Why is my iron low?

Are you struggling with low iron and feeling like it never improves? You’re not alone. Many people, especially women, experience persistently low iron levels, often reflected as low ferritin on blood tests.

Ferritin is a measure of the iron stored in your body. Think of it like a cupboard: your body stores iron there so it can be used when needed. When ferritin is low, it means there isn’t enough iron in storage for your body to draw on.

So, why does this happen?

Iron levels can drop for several reasons, one of the most common being blood loss. This is particularly relevant for women with heavy menstrual cycles, or for those not consuming enough iron-rich foods. But if you’re eating well and not losing significant amounts of blood, your iron levels should be fine… right?

Not always.

One major reason iron can remain low is inflammation.

Even low levels of inflammation can interfere with how your body manages iron. When inflammation is present, your body reduces its ability to absorb iron from food and limits how much iron it stores. At the same time, it also prevents stored iron from being released and used—essentially locking it away.

Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes:

Inflammation increases a marker called interleukin-6 (IL-6), which in turn raises levels of a hormone called hepcidin. Hepcidin is produced by the liver and plays a central role in regulating iron balance. When iron levels are low, hepcidin normally decreases to allow more iron absorption. When iron levels are high, hepcidin increases to reduce absorption.

However, when inflammation drives hepcidin levels up, it disrupts this balance. Hepcidin blocks iron absorption and traps iron in storage, making it unavailable to the body—even if you actually need it.

This is where lactoferrin may help.

Lactoferrin is a protein found in dairy products such as milk, kefir, and colostrum. It has anti-inflammatory properties and can help lower IL-6 levels, which in turn may reduce hepcidin production. This allows the body to resume normal iron absorption and release from storage.

In addition, lactoferrin can bind to iron and help transport it more effectively into the body. Interestingly, this binding also protects the iron from being used by harmful microorganisms like bacteria and parasites—helping ensure that the iron is used where it’s needed most: by you.

So what can you do about it?

If you are taking iron supplements, needing an iron infusion every 12 months or experiencing persistent tiredness due to low iron, you may have inflammation somewhere in the body, this is where Naturopathic support can help. 

At Return 2 Wellness we specialise in identifying the root cause of your health problem. To do this our investigations may include; functional medicine testing, standard or advanced blood tests, a very thorough questionnaire and looking at body signs to find the underlying inflammation. Once we have identified the underlying cause, we will address this with nutritionals, herbal medicine, diet and other natural medicines.

The result….Interleukin-6 and inflammation go down, hepcidin levels go down and your body returns to absorbing and utilising its iron once more. 

To find out what is causing your low iron levels, book an appointment now and let us help you get back to your vital and energetic self.

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