Each week, OMRF Vice President of Research Dr. Rod McEver opens “Adam’s Journal” to answer a medical question from Adam Cohen, OMRF’s senior vice president & general counsel.
Adam’s Journal
My sister is a 48-year-old vegetarian and a marathoner. Recently, she was feeling fatigued, and a friend suggested she have her iron levels tested. The results showed that her ferritin levels were low. What does this mean? Should she worry?
Dr. McEver Prescribes
Ferritin is a blood protein that contains iron. Your sister’s ferritin test result indicates that her body’s iron stores are low.
We need iron to make healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen from our lungs to the rest of the body. Your sister’s low ferritin levels could well be why she feels run down. Indeed, she ticks three boxes that can lead to iron deficiency.
First, she’s a vegetarian, which means she doesn’t consume the most common and plentiful source of iron in our diets: meat. Second – and I’m making an assumption based on her age – a pre-menopausal woman, so she loses iron in her blood each month with her menstrual cycle.
Finally, she is a distance runner. Studies have found iron deficiencies in 50% of female endurance athletes.
It’s likely all of these factors are contributing to your sister’s iron deficiency. Still, she should schedule an appointment with her healthcare provider, who can perform a more thorough evaluation.
They’ll likely test her hemoglobin levels, which could point to other potential culprits for her fatigue and low iron. Her physician could also prescribe a colonoscopy or some other form of testing to rule out any internal bleeding in her intestinal tract. If your sister is experiencing acid reflux or other gastrointestinal distress, she should let her doctor know, as this could be related.
Chances are, these test results are nothing to worry about, and a daily dose of an iron supplement will have your sister back to her old self soon. But a visit to a doctor is in order.
