October 10, 2025 • 29 mins
If you’ve ever been told your iron or ferritin is “low” but no one can explain why then this episode is for you.
Iron issues are rarely just about your diet or supplements. They’re often a reflection of what’s happening in your gut. In this episode, Dr. Heather breaks down how stomach acid, infections like H. pylori, mineral balance, and inflammation all impact how your body absorbs and uses iron.
You’ll learn:
✅ The real difference between ferritin and serum iron (and why both matter)
✅ What high or low ferritin actually means and the hidden gut clues behind it
✅ How minerals like copper, zinc, and potassium influence iron utilization
✅ Why iron supplements can make symptoms worse if the root cause isn’t addressed
✅ Practical steps to rebuild your terrain for better energy, digestion, and balance
If your labs have never made sense or you’ve been stuck taking iron without feeling any better this episode will help you see why.
Links Mentioned:
Register for the Free Webinar (October 19):
Learn why SIBO and slow motility might be keeping you stuck and how to finally rebuild your gut for lasting relief.
Try Lactoferrin
A gentle, food-derived way to support iron balance and immune health without feeding infections.
Work with Our Team:
Get personalized testing and root-cause support through our gutTogether® program.
Connect with Dr. Heather on Instagram:
For daily gut health tips, case studies, and behind-the-scenes updates.
Tune in to discover how your gut and minerals could be the missing link to finally balancing your iron and feeling like yourself again.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Heather Finley (00:03):
Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Heather Finley, registereddietitian and gut health
specialist.
I understand the frustration ofdealing with GI issues because
I've been there and I spent overtwo decades searching for
answers for my own gut issues ofconstipation, bloating, and
stomach pain.
I've dedicated my life tounderstanding and solving my own
(00:24):
gut issues.
And now I'm here to guide you.
On this podcast, I'll help youidentify the true root causes of
your discomfort.
So you can finally ditch yoursymptoms for good.
My goal is to empower you withthe knowledge and tools you need
so that you can love your gutand it will love you right back.
So if you're ready to learn alot, gain a deeper understanding
(00:46):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast.
If you have been told your ironor your ferritin is low, but no
one can explain why, and youkeep taking iron, and every time
you stop, your iron is lowagain, then this episode is for
(01:10):
you.
I cannot tell you how manyclients come to me saying My
doctor told me to take iron.
But I still feel tired all thetime, or I've been taking iron
supplements for months and myferritin hasn't budged, and now
I'm taking iron and I'm soconstipated and bloated even
more than I was before.
It is one of those frustratingcycles where you're trying to.
(01:32):
Fix one problem and youaccidentally create another.
You want more energy, less hairshedding and better focus, but
instead, you are battlingsluggish digestion and
discomfort.
So here is the thing, if youriron or ferritin levels aren't
improving, or if your ironsupplements are making your gut
worse, there is a clue that youriron might not be.
(01:54):
An iron issue, it might beanother issue all together.
So today on the Love Your Gutpodcast, we are unpacking.
What your iron and your ferritinlabs are really telling you how
stomach acid, gut infections,and even mineral imbalances can
play a role.
Because when we zoom out and welook at the full picture, we
(02:15):
often find that iron issuesactually start in the gut and
not just in your blood.
So before we get into the gutside of things, I wanna take a
minute to understand what yourIron Labs are actually showing
you, because most people haveseen these numbers.
On their blood work, but have noidea what they actually really
mean.
So we're gonna use the analogyof your iron as kind of like
(02:38):
your finances.
So everybody's familiar withfinances.
I thought this might be a goodanalogy.
Ferritin is like your savingsaccount, so it's where your body
stores iron for later use tomake red blood cells support.
Thyroid function, carry oxygen.
Your serum iron, which you'veprobably seen on your blood
work, is like your checkingaccount.
(02:58):
So that is the iron that'sactively circulating and being
used day to day.
For all different types ofthings in your body.
Then you have TIBC andtransferrin saturation.
These are more like directdeposits and like a bank
transfer system.
So they tell you how efficientlyyour body is moving iron between
(03:21):
your accounts when everything isbalanced and you have enough in
savings, so your ferritin orenough in your checking your
serum iron.
And the transfers are workingsmoothly, so TIBC and transfer
and saturation, everything isgood, but when something goes
wrong, whether it's stress orinflammation or poor absorption,
(03:42):
these quote unquote accountsstop communicating well, and
that's when you start to feelit.
You start feeling fatigued.
You start having brain fog, hairloss, brittle nails, shortness
of breath.
Maybe even GI symptoms.
And so here are the most commonthree patterns that we see on
labs.
There's a lot more, butobviously this is just a podcast
(04:04):
episode.
So we're gonna keep it to threetoday, and I will probably
record another episode on this.
Especially if I get a lot ofquestions.
So maybe you have low ferritinand normal serum iron, so this
means that your checking accountstill looks okay, but your
savings are empty, so you'redrawing from your reserves
faster than you can replacethem, or you're spending
(04:27):
basically what you're making.
And this can be an early sign ofdepletion, sometimes hidden
inflammation that's keeping youfrom storing iron properly.
We see this quite a bit whereferritin is like.
Nine 11, maybe even in thetwenties, and it will not budge
unless somebody is like gettingan iron infusion or megadosing
(04:49):
iron.
But what I hope you understandby the end of today's episode is
that getting an iron infusion orjust.
Mega dosing iron is not alwaysgonna help you, and in fact, it
could be making things worse.
Another scenario that we'll seeis high ferritin or normal to
low serum iron, so maybe yourferritin is out of range.
(05:10):
It's in like the three hundredshigh, two hundreds.
We see this quite a bit as well.
This is like having a ton ofmoney locked away that you can't
access.
So maybe this is like aretirement savings that you know
you've got a lot of money, butyou can't do anything with it.
The body will raise ferritin inresponse to inflammation or
(05:34):
infection as a protective move.
It will hide iron away fromother pathogens that love to
feed on it.
So your storage looks reallyhigh, but you're not actually
using it.
Efficiently.
So maybe your serum iron is lowand that's your body just doing
what it was designed to do andis a sign that we need to look a
(05:55):
little bit deeper.
And then the third scenario ismaybe you're just low across the
board.
Low ferritin, low serum iron,low saturation.
This is true iron deficiency.
It can come from blood loss,maybe heavy periods or gut
bleeding.
Poor dietary intake of iron,which this would be probably the
least common cause.
'cause you actually don't need.
(06:16):
That much iron in your diet.
If your iron recycling isworking pretty well,
malabsorption, maybe from lowstomach acid or even infections
that will interfere with ironrecycling.
So understanding which patternyou fall into can help us to
determine how we are actuallygoing to approach it.
Because like I mentioned,supplementing iron when the
(06:38):
issue is actually inflammationor infection can make things
worse.
So let's talk about the gutconnection of iron and why Iron
Labs will get out of whack.
And here's where it all reallystarts to make sense.
When we look at iron andferritin levels, it's really
easy to assume this is justabout how much iron you're
(07:00):
eating or that maybe you justneed to supplement more.
But that's really just the tipof the iceberg because the gut
plays a massive role in how yourbody absorbs, uses, and even
protects your iron, like in theexample that I mentioned
earlier.
So let's start with the top ofdigestion, stomach acid, which
if you've listened to any of mypodcast episodes, I've probably
(07:24):
talked about this at least insome of the episodes that you've
listened to, you actually need alot of stomach acid.
To absorb iron and really allminerals, but especially the
kind that comes from plant-basedor non-heme sources.
Without that iron just passesthrough without really ever
(07:44):
getting fully utilized.
And one of the biggest culpritsbehind low stomach acid is h
pylori.
H Pylori is the most commoninfection in the world.
It's a bacterial infection thatcan damage the stomach lining
and it can suppress acidproduction.
So if you're low in ferritin andyou're struggling to raise it
(08:05):
depi, despite takingsupplements, this could actually
be why you keep.
Adding more iron.
But if digestion isn't workingproperly, it's like pouring
water into a bucket with holes.
It's just going straightthrough.
So this is why a root causeapproach matters so much,
because if you only focus onthis symptom.
(08:25):
Oh, you have low iron.
Oh, you're constipated.
Oh, you're tired.
And you just start patchtreating all these symptoms and
not looking to the reason behindthem.
You end up playing whack-a-molewith your health.
And most of the time, 99% of thetime when we start working with
new clients, it's becausethey're sick of doing that.
You improve one issue, anotherone pops up, and then you're
(08:47):
still left guessing as to whyyou're feeling that way.
So let's talk about the otherside of the equation, which is.
Pathogens that love iron, thingslike parasites, h pylori, and
then even certain bacterialovergrowths thrive on iron.
So your body does somethingsuper smart.
It will hide it, it will lock itaway in ferritin, almost like.
(09:09):
Putting food in a high cabinetso that your toddler can't dump
it out.
That is why you might see highferritin, but low serum iron
when infection or inflammationis present.
But if your ferritin is low, soyour storage form of iron is
low, that's a sign that yourbody's resources are.
Tapped, it's trying to fightsomething off.
(09:32):
It no longer has enough reserveto protect you and function
optimally.
We do see this happen duringpregnancy when ferritin
naturally drops because yourbody is prioritizing the baby
and you have a lot of.
Extra blood volume.
It's called hemodilution, andyou're sharing nutrients and
increasing demand for iron andminerals.
So low ferritin in pregnancy,doesn't always mean something's
(09:54):
wrong.
In fact, that was actuallysomething that I dealt with in
this last pregnancy.
But it's a sign that yourreserves are being heavily used
and really need to bereplenished.
So full transparency.
I've been on a ferritin ironjourney.
Self since giving birth.
And thankfully things areimproving but it is taking time.
(10:14):
So there's inflammation, whichis a huge player.
When the body sensesinflammation, it releases a
hormone called hepcidin, andthis blocks iron absorption and
iron recycling.
And so basically it's a defensemechanism to starve pathogens of
iron, but unfortunately, it alsostarves you, and that's why
(10:38):
inflammation driven iron issuesoften don't respond to
supplementation until theinflammation itself is
addressed.
Let's move down further to thegut, to absorption and
permeability.
So if you have, quote unquoteleaky gut or intestinal
permeability or just poordigestion, you are simply not
(11:00):
absorbing minerals.
Well, the lining of yourintestines is like a fine mesh.
When it's healthy, it lets.
Nutrients in it keeps toxinsout, but when it's inflamed or
permeable, that mesh will loosenand it will allow larger
particles and inflammatorycompounds to slip through.
And this constant irritationjust reduces your ability to
(11:22):
absorb minerals like iron, likezinc, magnesium, all the other
minerals that work for energy.
And even detox and digestion.
And then lastly, we can't forgetmotility and bile flow.
So you need to be able to emptyyour bowels.
You need bile to help digestfats.
(11:42):
If you are constipated or youhave sluggish digestion, your
bile isn't flowing well and bileis your body's basically like
dish washing detergent.
It helps to emulsify fats, itsweeps out toxins.
It even supports microbialbalance.
But the kicker here is thatminerals are needed to move and
(12:02):
make bile.
So when you're depleted inthings like copper or sodium or
potassium, bile flow will slow,and that means that your detox
pathways struggle and so doesyour digestion.
And this sets the stage forissues like SIBO or candida or
just that feeling of likestuckness that so many people
(12:22):
describe.
So while iron and ferritin mightlook like a blood problem on
paper.
It's really a reflection of yourown gut environment, and that's
cool because your body is justgiving you clues for where to
look.
And iron is kind of that firstclue.
So low stomach acid, hiddeninfections, inflammation,
(12:43):
permeability, poor bile flow.
All of these will interfere withyour ability to actually use
iron.
Now that we've talked aboutdigestion and the guts role in
iron absorption, let's zoom outa little more.
Because iron does not workalone.
It is not as simple.
Like I mentioned as just takingiron, it's part of a bigger
(13:07):
mineral network and when therest of that network is off
balance, your iron will move orbe used properly no matter how
much you supplement.
So I wanna start with the onemineral that often gets most
overlooked, which is.
Copper.
So copper is required tomobilize stored iron.
(13:28):
So in simple terms, what thismeans is it allows the body to
take iron out of storage, so outof ferritin and actually use it.
And so if your copper is low,you can end up with ferritin
that's stuck in storage.
Iron is there, but your bodycannot access it.
When we see HTMA results forclients, I often look at a
(13:49):
couple different patterns whenit comes to copper.
Number one is buried copper.
This is when copper looks normalor even low on paper, but it's
actually stored in the tissuesrather than available for use.
And so clients often showsymptoms of both low copper and
copper toxicity.
(14:10):
Like fatigue or anxiety orhistamine issues, or just
stubborn low ferritin that won'tbudge.
Another situation is overtcopper.
This is when copper is justtruly unregulated and it can
happen with estrogen dominance,sluggish liver.
Poor detox, certain supplements,higher copper can suppress zinc,
(14:34):
and then just throw off ironutilization leading to kind of
that same feeling of likeburnout that wired, tired
energy, et cetera.
And then the last one is lowcopper.
So this is more straightforward.
It's when the body genuinelydoesn't have enough from either
long-term depletion or birthcontrol use, vegan diets, low
(14:55):
stomach acid so many differentthings.
Without enough copper, you can'tmake an enzyme called
ceruloplasmin.
And that is essential fortransporting iron safely and
efficiently.
So ceruloplasmin is anothermarker that you can draw on
blood work that will help youlook at this whole iron picture.
(15:16):
So when you start to see lowferritin or stubborn anemia,
that won't improve with iron.
Copper status is definitelysomething that you wanna check.
And then next up is zinc.
Zinc and copper work hand inhand, almost like siblings that
share a room.
So too much of one throws offthe other, and you know how that
(15:37):
can get a little bit crazy.
So zinc is helpful forsupporting immune health.
It's also helpful for stomachacid production wound healing.
I know many of us were megadosing zinc during the pandemic,
which my theory, I shared thisat a conference I spoke at last
weekend is my theory.
We're seeing a lot of copperissues now, and I think a lot of
(16:00):
that has to do with people, megamegadosing, zinc during the
pandemic.
But that's just my theory.
I don't really have anything toback it up.
But if you've developed someweird symptoms as a result.
That could be part of it.
Obviously part of a much biggerpicture.
But zinc cannot be too highbecause it will crowd out copper
and limit iron utilization,which you certainly do not want,
(16:24):
because then on the flip side,if copper is too high, it can
suppress zinc, it can slowstomach acid, it can create this
really bad cycle of poordigestion and poor nutrient
absorption.
The thing that I want you tohear about minerals, and this
podcast of course is aboutminerals because it's about
iron.
But probably another podcast foranother time is.
(16:45):
Minerals are rarely about more.
It's about balance.
It's a symphony.
You can't mega dose one andthink that you're not gonna
impact the whole symphony if theviolinist is off.
The whole thing sounds bad.
So there are smaller but moreimportant players as a part of
this as well.
But that's really what you wannaunderstand is we never want to
(17:05):
just overdose or mega dose, onemineral.
We have to look at how the wholething is playing out together.
I wanna focus on manganese andmolybdenum really quick.
These minerals are very minorminerals, but they do help to
regulate oxidative stress, whichis basically how well your body
handles the byproducts of energyproduction.
(17:28):
And so when these are off,especially if we see manganese
really high on HTMA testing, itcan signal that the body's under
oxidative stress.
Often from inflammation or justoverall detox strain.
Sometimes we'll see this in achronic SIBO picture, and when
that's happening, ironmetabolism can get disrupted as
well, because inflammation andoxidation are linked together.
(17:51):
So this is where HTMA testingjust gives us a much fuller
picture than just blood work on,yes, your ferritin's low, or
yes, your iron's low, whateverit might be, because we can see
how the whole mineral system isworking together.
For example, let's say somebodyhas high calcium and magnesium
that can indicate slowermetabolism.
(18:11):
Which means the body's oxygendelivery and energy production,
which are both dependent on ironare reduced.
Or if we see low sodium orpotassium ratios, this can show
that the adrenal patterns areunder stress and that can affect
things as well.
Zinc and copper ratios, thoseare really important.
And then even low cobalt issomething that we see often.
(18:33):
Which often reflects low stomachacid or B12 issues, which will
further impair iron absorption.
So when we look at minerals,we're not just looking at
numbers on a chart.
And that's the biggestdifference is we're not just
looking at like, okay, checkyour iron is normal, check your
calcium's normal.
We're seeing.
How your body is managing energyand oxygen and inflammation
(18:58):
behind the scenes.
And then when we startrebalancing minerals, especially
a lot of these minerals thathave to do with iron, copper,
and zinc and potassium, we seeiron and ferritin improve
without high dosesupplementation.
Obviously if we're addressingthe gut as well, if there's
something coming from that.
(19:18):
So here is why supplementingisn't always the answer and why
I think so many people get stuckbecause you're told your iron is
low.
Just take a supplement.
So you go, you grab iron and youhope your energy comes.
Back, but instead you'rebloated, you're constipated, you
have stomach pain, and then yourlabs are doing crazy stuff.
So if that sounds familiar,you're definitely not alone.
(19:40):
And the truth is that digestionand pathogens and inflammation
could all be part of thepicture, and your body needs to
be able to use the iron thatyou're taking.
And we don't also want to beadding more fuel to a fire
that's still burning.
So that can happen because ironcan also be pretty irritating to
the gut lining.
(20:00):
When your digestion is alreadycompromised, it can feed
bacteria and pathogens, like Imentioned, especially if you
have SIBO or parasites or hpylori.
Those are common things that wesee with clients we work with.
So instead of solving theproblem, you're just
supplementing iron in increasinginflammation, making your
constipation worse, and yourbody is still really struggling
(20:22):
to absorb what it needs.
Which is why we need to supportthe terrain of your gut.
We need to improve digestion.
We need to support gut motility.
We need to clear infections.
We need to rebalance minerals.
We need to give the body all thetools that it needs.
And this sounds reallycomplicated, but.
It really isn't when you're ableto get the correct testing and
(20:44):
get all the pieces of the puzzlelaid out right in front of you
and you have someone to walk youthrough exactly what to do, it
really is fairly straightforwardon, okay, here's the plan and
kind of here's where we'reheaded.
We're not navigating this in thedark and we know exactly what we
need to do.
So there, this is the differencebetween chasing your symptoms or
(21:07):
band-aiding your symptoms, andactually addressing the system.
When you rebuild the terrain,your body finally has what it
needs and it becomes a loteasier.
And then it's not a chronicproblem, right?
Like you're not having to.
Constantly take mega doses ofiron or constantly worry about
this.
So now that we've uncovered thewhy behind iron, let's talk
(21:30):
about some functional clues,like just little patterns that
help us connect the dots betweenyour symptoms and your labs and
what could be going onunderneath.
So low ferritin is a common onethat we see.
Maybe you notice you get bloatedor nauseous after eating
protein.
If those two things are going onwith you, and again, by the way,
(21:52):
this is not diagnostic, consultyour medical provider.
All the legal things I'msupposed to say, I'm just
pointing out some patterns.
If you have low ferritin and youalso get bloated or nauseous
after eating, that is a big redflag for low stomach acid and
possibly h pylori.
So your body is.
Probably, or possibly notbreaking down food efficiently,
(22:13):
which also could mean that's whyyou're not absorbing iron or
other minerals very well.
Maybe you have the opposite.
You have high ferritin, but youstill feel tired and inflamed.
Maybe you have joint pain, acnethat often points to
inflammation or infection.
And your mo, your body may beintentionally locking iron away
(22:33):
to protect itself.
So even though your ferritinlooks high, you could be
functionally iron deficient.
Or just sequestering that ironaway from some kind of
infection.
So navigating.
The testing to look at thatwould be really helpful.
And then let's say you have lowiron and constipation.
This is a sign of classic slowmotility or mineral imbalances.
(22:56):
We need minerals to help our gutcontract, and that sluggishness
can affect everything from bileflow to detox to nutrient
absorption, which is why testingreally matters because blood
work alone is not gonna tell thefull story.
We want to see how your gut isfunctioning, how your minerals
are balanced, not just what'sfloating around in your blood.
(23:19):
That's why inside our programswe definitely use blood work.
But whether you're working withour client in really any of our
programs, we're gonna use acombination of testing GI Map,
HTMA blood work to piecetogether the whole picture if
you've got iron stuff going on,because we wanna see how all
these systems are goingtogether.
(23:40):
So what can you actually do ifyour ferritin or iron numbers.
Aren't where you want them tobe, and maybe you're gonna jump
into testing, but you want someactionable steps that you can do
right now.
The first step, of course, is tostop guessing, because Iron
Balance is never just abouttaking more iron.
It's about creating the rightenvironment.
(24:01):
And so while you're waiting ongetting more answers on the
whole picture, let's start withthe top of digestion.
Stomach acid support.
If you're dealing with bloating,nausea, gas, burping, undigested
food in your stool, low iron,you need to support your stomach
acid most likely.
So using things like digestivebitters, supporting minerals
(24:24):
that drive stomach acidproduction like sodium and zinc,
and.
Always consult your healthprovider.
In some cases you might needHCL.
That's not my go-to, and I wouldnot recommend that if you don't
know if you have h pylori ornot.
When stomach acid is optimized,you're gonna absorb iron.
You're gonna absorb B12 proteinall without the digestive
(24:45):
discomfort.
Next is addressing infectionsbefore you push iron.
So getting rid of parasites, hpylori, yeast overgrowth, and
giving your body more iron canactually make you feel worse.
So.
Clearing the terrain is going toallow you to utilize and store
iron properly.
Also, looking at minerals,repleting minerals, and focusing
(25:08):
on balancing minerals likecopper and zinc and potassium
and magnesium.
So your body can utilize ironcorrectly.
Copper will help mobilize it.
So definitely looking at copper,whether it's on an HTMA or blood
work and ideally both.
Usually we're running a fullMonty blood work panel, so we
can look at ceruloplasmin andall of that as well, and
(25:32):
balancing your minerals so thatyour body can recycle iron.
Without the inflammation andconstipation that comes with
that.
Another gentle option that Ioften use with clients and that
I'm actually currently taking, Ishared this on Instagram maybe a
couple weeks ago and I got abunch of questions about it, is
lactoferrin.
(25:52):
Lactoferrin is a bioactive andit helps to bind to iron safely.
It supports immune function.
It has mild antimicrobialproperties and can help.
Prevent pathogens from feedingon iron.
So whether you have low or highlactoferrin can be good.
(26:13):
It also acts as a prebiotic,which means it's gonna support
the growth of beneficial gutbacteria and regulate how the
body utilizes and stores iron.
And this is really wherepersonalization matters because
there's no one size fits all.
There's a reason your ferritinand your iron are off.
For one person, it might be poorabsorption for another, it might
be copper for another.
(26:34):
It might be an underlyinginfection.
And so guessing on this.
It's just gonna waste your timeand waste your money and maybe
actually make things worse,which is where functional
testing is so powerful becauseyou're not just throwing darts
in the dark and instead you'refinally gonna understand what's
going on with your body.
So just to wrap this up, if yourferritin or your iron labs have
(26:55):
never made sense.
Maybe they're low one year highthe next, or maybe they're
always low, and you just don'tseem to, it doesn't match how
you feel.
It might not be your diet.
It might not mean that you justneed to eat more steak.
It's usually other things thatare going on.
So learning to understand theconnections between your
(27:15):
digestion and your minerals andinflammation and your
microbiome.
You can start to see why ironmight not be fixing your fatigue
or what really the true.
Portion of this is so of course,if you are ready to stop
guessing and finally figure thisout, that's exactly what we do
inside of gut together.
(27:35):
It's a custom one-on-oneprogram.
We're going to use functionaltesting like stool testing and
HTMA, and we'd love to work withyou.
And then if this episode hithome, you definitely wanna join
me live for my brand new webinaron October 19th.
So we're gonna test out a Sundaywebinar to see if that helps
with work schedules and afterschool sports and all the things
(28:00):
we're gonna be digging deeperinto sibo and specifically why
so many people stay stuck aftermultiple rounds of
antimicrobials or antibiotics ordiets.
So even if you haven't beendiagnosed with sibo, but you
struggle with bloating orconstipation or diarrhea.
And no matter what you do,you're stuck.
(28:20):
Make an effort to be there.
It's gonna be good.
I'm really excited about theupdates that I am making to this
webinar.
And.
It's gonna be fun, so make sureyou can be there.
I put a poll up on Instagram, soI think it's gonna be sometime
in the afternoon, but TBD, we'llput all the link in the show
notes for the time and all ofthat.
But we'll talk about the role ofslow motility infections, how to
(28:42):
rebuild your gut so you can feelbetter for good.
You can pre-register using thelink in the show.
And I can't wait to see youthere because your gut matters
and you feeling good matterstoo.
So see you next time on the nextepisode of the Love Your Gut
podcast.
Thanks for joining.
Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Heather Finley, registereddietitian and gut health
specialist.
I understand the frustration ofdealing with GI issues because
I've been there and I spent overtwo decades searching for
answers for my own gut issues ofconstipation, bloating, and
stomach pain.
I've dedicated my life tounderstanding and solving my own
(00:24):
gut issues.
And now I'm here to guide you.
On this podcast, I'll help youidentify the true root causes of
your discomfort.
So you can finally ditch yoursymptoms for good.
My goal is to empower you withthe knowledge and tools you need
so that you can love your gutand it will love you right back.
So if you're ready to learn alot, gain a deeper understanding
(00:46):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast.
If you have been told your ironor your ferritin is low, but no
one can explain why, and youkeep taking iron, and every time
you stop, your iron is lowagain, then this episode is for
(01:10):
you.
I cannot tell you how manyclients come to me saying My
doctor told me to take iron.
But I still feel tired all thetime, or I've been taking iron
supplements for months and myferritin hasn't budged, and now
I'm taking iron and I'm soconstipated and bloated even
more than I was before.
It is one of those frustratingcycles where you're trying to.
(01:32):
Fix one problem and youaccidentally create another.
You want more energy, less hairshedding and better focus, but
instead, you are battlingsluggish digestion and
discomfort.
So here is the thing, if youriron or ferritin levels aren't
improving, or if your ironsupplements are making your gut
worse, there is a clue that youriron might not be.
(01:54):
An iron issue, it might beanother issue all together.
So today on the Love Your Gutpodcast, we are unpacking.
What your iron and your ferritinlabs are really telling you how
stomach acid, gut infections,and even mineral imbalances can
play a role.
Because when we zoom out and welook at the full picture, we
(02:15):
often find that iron issuesactually start in the gut and
not just in your blood.
So before we get into the gutside of things, I wanna take a
minute to understand what yourIron Labs are actually showing
you, because most people haveseen these numbers.
On their blood work, but have noidea what they actually really
mean.
So we're gonna use the analogyof your iron as kind of like
(02:38):
your finances.
So everybody's familiar withfinances.
I thought this might be a goodanalogy.
Ferritin is like your savingsaccount, so it's where your body
stores iron for later use tomake red blood cells support.
Thyroid function, carry oxygen.
Your serum iron, which you'veprobably seen on your blood
work, is like your checkingaccount.
(02:58):
So that is the iron that'sactively circulating and being
used day to day.
For all different types ofthings in your body.
Then you have TIBC andtransferrin saturation.
These are more like directdeposits and like a bank
transfer system.
So they tell you how efficientlyyour body is moving iron between
(03:21):
your accounts when everything isbalanced and you have enough in
savings, so your ferritin orenough in your checking your
serum iron.
And the transfers are workingsmoothly, so TIBC and transfer
and saturation, everything isgood, but when something goes
wrong, whether it's stress orinflammation or poor absorption,
(03:42):
these quote unquote accountsstop communicating well, and
that's when you start to feelit.
You start feeling fatigued.
You start having brain fog, hairloss, brittle nails, shortness
of breath.
Maybe even GI symptoms.
And so here are the most commonthree patterns that we see on
labs.
There's a lot more, butobviously this is just a podcast
(04:04):
episode.
So we're gonna keep it to threetoday, and I will probably
record another episode on this.
Especially if I get a lot ofquestions.
So maybe you have low ferritinand normal serum iron, so this
means that your checking accountstill looks okay, but your
savings are empty, so you'redrawing from your reserves
faster than you can replacethem, or you're spending
(04:27):
basically what you're making.
And this can be an early sign ofdepletion, sometimes hidden
inflammation that's keeping youfrom storing iron properly.
We see this quite a bit whereferritin is like.
Nine 11, maybe even in thetwenties, and it will not budge
unless somebody is like gettingan iron infusion or megadosing
(04:49):
iron.
But what I hope you understandby the end of today's episode is
that getting an iron infusion orjust.
Mega dosing iron is not alwaysgonna help you, and in fact, it
could be making things worse.
Another scenario that we'll seeis high ferritin or normal to
low serum iron, so maybe yourferritin is out of range.
(05:10):
It's in like the three hundredshigh, two hundreds.
We see this quite a bit as well.
This is like having a ton ofmoney locked away that you can't
access.
So maybe this is like aretirement savings that you know
you've got a lot of money, butyou can't do anything with it.
The body will raise ferritin inresponse to inflammation or
(05:34):
infection as a protective move.
It will hide iron away fromother pathogens that love to
feed on it.
So your storage looks reallyhigh, but you're not actually
using it.
Efficiently.
So maybe your serum iron is lowand that's your body just doing
what it was designed to do andis a sign that we need to look a
(05:55):
little bit deeper.
And then the third scenario ismaybe you're just low across the
board.
Low ferritin, low serum iron,low saturation.
This is true iron deficiency.
It can come from blood loss,maybe heavy periods or gut
bleeding.
Poor dietary intake of iron,which this would be probably the
least common cause.
'cause you actually don't need.
(06:16):
That much iron in your diet.
If your iron recycling isworking pretty well,
malabsorption, maybe from lowstomach acid or even infections
that will interfere with ironrecycling.
So understanding which patternyou fall into can help us to
determine how we are actuallygoing to approach it.
Because like I mentioned,supplementing iron when the
(06:38):
issue is actually inflammationor infection can make things
worse.
So let's talk about the gutconnection of iron and why Iron
Labs will get out of whack.
And here's where it all reallystarts to make sense.
When we look at iron andferritin levels, it's really
easy to assume this is justabout how much iron you're
(07:00):
eating or that maybe you justneed to supplement more.
But that's really just the tipof the iceberg because the gut
plays a massive role in how yourbody absorbs, uses, and even
protects your iron, like in theexample that I mentioned
earlier.
So let's start with the top ofdigestion, stomach acid, which
if you've listened to any of mypodcast episodes, I've probably
(07:24):
talked about this at least insome of the episodes that you've
listened to, you actually need alot of stomach acid.
To absorb iron and really allminerals, but especially the
kind that comes from plant-basedor non-heme sources.
Without that iron just passesthrough without really ever
(07:44):
getting fully utilized.
And one of the biggest culpritsbehind low stomach acid is h
pylori.
H Pylori is the most commoninfection in the world.
It's a bacterial infection thatcan damage the stomach lining
and it can suppress acidproduction.
So if you're low in ferritin andyou're struggling to raise it
(08:05):
depi, despite takingsupplements, this could actually
be why you keep.
Adding more iron.
But if digestion isn't workingproperly, it's like pouring
water into a bucket with holes.
It's just going straightthrough.
So this is why a root causeapproach matters so much,
because if you only focus onthis symptom.
(08:25):
Oh, you have low iron.
Oh, you're constipated.
Oh, you're tired.
And you just start patchtreating all these symptoms and
not looking to the reason behindthem.
You end up playing whack-a-molewith your health.
And most of the time, 99% of thetime when we start working with
new clients, it's becausethey're sick of doing that.
You improve one issue, anotherone pops up, and then you're
(08:47):
still left guessing as to whyyou're feeling that way.
So let's talk about the otherside of the equation, which is.
Pathogens that love iron, thingslike parasites, h pylori, and
then even certain bacterialovergrowths thrive on iron.
So your body does somethingsuper smart.
It will hide it, it will lock itaway in ferritin, almost like.
(09:09):
Putting food in a high cabinetso that your toddler can't dump
it out.
That is why you might see highferritin, but low serum iron
when infection or inflammationis present.
But if your ferritin is low, soyour storage form of iron is
low, that's a sign that yourbody's resources are.
Tapped, it's trying to fightsomething off.
(09:32):
It no longer has enough reserveto protect you and function
optimally.
We do see this happen duringpregnancy when ferritin
naturally drops because yourbody is prioritizing the baby
and you have a lot of.
Extra blood volume.
It's called hemodilution, andyou're sharing nutrients and
increasing demand for iron andminerals.
So low ferritin in pregnancy,doesn't always mean something's
(09:54):
wrong.
In fact, that was actuallysomething that I dealt with in
this last pregnancy.
But it's a sign that yourreserves are being heavily used
and really need to bereplenished.
So full transparency.
I've been on a ferritin ironjourney.
Self since giving birth.
And thankfully things areimproving but it is taking time.
(10:14):
So there's inflammation, whichis a huge player.
When the body sensesinflammation, it releases a
hormone called hepcidin, andthis blocks iron absorption and
iron recycling.
And so basically it's a defensemechanism to starve pathogens of
iron, but unfortunately, it alsostarves you, and that's why
(10:38):
inflammation driven iron issuesoften don't respond to
supplementation until theinflammation itself is
addressed.
Let's move down further to thegut, to absorption and
permeability.
So if you have, quote unquoteleaky gut or intestinal
permeability or just poordigestion, you are simply not
(11:00):
absorbing minerals.
Well, the lining of yourintestines is like a fine mesh.
When it's healthy, it lets.
Nutrients in it keeps toxinsout, but when it's inflamed or
permeable, that mesh will loosenand it will allow larger
particles and inflammatorycompounds to slip through.
And this constant irritationjust reduces your ability to
(11:22):
absorb minerals like iron, likezinc, magnesium, all the other
minerals that work for energy.
And even detox and digestion.
And then lastly, we can't forgetmotility and bile flow.
So you need to be able to emptyyour bowels.
You need bile to help digestfats.
(11:42):
If you are constipated or youhave sluggish digestion, your
bile isn't flowing well and bileis your body's basically like
dish washing detergent.
It helps to emulsify fats, itsweeps out toxins.
It even supports microbialbalance.
But the kicker here is thatminerals are needed to move and
(12:02):
make bile.
So when you're depleted inthings like copper or sodium or
potassium, bile flow will slow,and that means that your detox
pathways struggle and so doesyour digestion.
And this sets the stage forissues like SIBO or candida or
just that feeling of likestuckness that so many people
(12:22):
describe.
So while iron and ferritin mightlook like a blood problem on
paper.
It's really a reflection of yourown gut environment, and that's
cool because your body is justgiving you clues for where to
look.
And iron is kind of that firstclue.
So low stomach acid, hiddeninfections, inflammation,
(12:43):
permeability, poor bile flow.
All of these will interfere withyour ability to actually use
iron.
Now that we've talked aboutdigestion and the guts role in
iron absorption, let's zoom outa little more.
Because iron does not workalone.
It is not as simple.
Like I mentioned as just takingiron, it's part of a bigger
(13:07):
mineral network and when therest of that network is off
balance, your iron will move orbe used properly no matter how
much you supplement.
So I wanna start with the onemineral that often gets most
overlooked, which is.
Copper.
So copper is required tomobilize stored iron.
(13:28):
So in simple terms, what thismeans is it allows the body to
take iron out of storage, so outof ferritin and actually use it.
And so if your copper is low,you can end up with ferritin
that's stuck in storage.
Iron is there, but your bodycannot access it.
When we see HTMA results forclients, I often look at a
(13:49):
couple different patterns whenit comes to copper.
Number one is buried copper.
This is when copper looks normalor even low on paper, but it's
actually stored in the tissuesrather than available for use.
And so clients often showsymptoms of both low copper and
copper toxicity.
(14:10):
Like fatigue or anxiety orhistamine issues, or just
stubborn low ferritin that won'tbudge.
Another situation is overtcopper.
This is when copper is justtruly unregulated and it can
happen with estrogen dominance,sluggish liver.
Poor detox, certain supplements,higher copper can suppress zinc,
(14:34):
and then just throw off ironutilization leading to kind of
that same feeling of likeburnout that wired, tired
energy, et cetera.
And then the last one is lowcopper.
So this is more straightforward.
It's when the body genuinelydoesn't have enough from either
long-term depletion or birthcontrol use, vegan diets, low
(14:55):
stomach acid so many differentthings.
Without enough copper, you can'tmake an enzyme called
ceruloplasmin.
And that is essential fortransporting iron safely and
efficiently.
So ceruloplasmin is anothermarker that you can draw on
blood work that will help youlook at this whole iron picture.
(15:16):
So when you start to see lowferritin or stubborn anemia,
that won't improve with iron.
Copper status is definitelysomething that you wanna check.
And then next up is zinc.
Zinc and copper work hand inhand, almost like siblings that
share a room.
So too much of one throws offthe other, and you know how that
(15:37):
can get a little bit crazy.
So zinc is helpful forsupporting immune health.
It's also helpful for stomachacid production wound healing.
I know many of us were megadosing zinc during the pandemic,
which my theory, I shared thisat a conference I spoke at last
weekend is my theory.
We're seeing a lot of copperissues now, and I think a lot of
(16:00):
that has to do with people, megamegadosing, zinc during the
pandemic.
But that's just my theory.
I don't really have anything toback it up.
But if you've developed someweird symptoms as a result.
That could be part of it.
Obviously part of a much biggerpicture.
But zinc cannot be too highbecause it will crowd out copper
and limit iron utilization,which you certainly do not want,
(16:24):
because then on the flip side,if copper is too high, it can
suppress zinc, it can slowstomach acid, it can create this
really bad cycle of poordigestion and poor nutrient
absorption.
The thing that I want you tohear about minerals, and this
podcast of course is aboutminerals because it's about
iron.
But probably another podcast foranother time is.
(16:45):
Minerals are rarely about more.
It's about balance.
It's a symphony.
You can't mega dose one andthink that you're not gonna
impact the whole symphony if theviolinist is off.
The whole thing sounds bad.
So there are smaller but moreimportant players as a part of
this as well.
But that's really what you wannaunderstand is we never want to
(17:05):
just overdose or mega dose, onemineral.
We have to look at how the wholething is playing out together.
I wanna focus on manganese andmolybdenum really quick.
These minerals are very minorminerals, but they do help to
regulate oxidative stress, whichis basically how well your body
handles the byproducts of energyproduction.
(17:28):
And so when these are off,especially if we see manganese
really high on HTMA testing, itcan signal that the body's under
oxidative stress.
Often from inflammation or justoverall detox strain.
Sometimes we'll see this in achronic SIBO picture, and when
that's happening, ironmetabolism can get disrupted as
well, because inflammation andoxidation are linked together.
(17:51):
So this is where HTMA testingjust gives us a much fuller
picture than just blood work on,yes, your ferritin's low, or
yes, your iron's low, whateverit might be, because we can see
how the whole mineral system isworking together.
For example, let's say somebodyhas high calcium and magnesium
that can indicate slowermetabolism.
(18:11):
Which means the body's oxygendelivery and energy production,
which are both dependent on ironare reduced.
Or if we see low sodium orpotassium ratios, this can show
that the adrenal patterns areunder stress and that can affect
things as well.
Zinc and copper ratios, thoseare really important.
And then even low cobalt issomething that we see often.
(18:33):
Which often reflects low stomachacid or B12 issues, which will
further impair iron absorption.
So when we look at minerals,we're not just looking at
numbers on a chart.
And that's the biggestdifference is we're not just
looking at like, okay, checkyour iron is normal, check your
calcium's normal.
We're seeing.
How your body is managing energyand oxygen and inflammation
(18:58):
behind the scenes.
And then when we startrebalancing minerals, especially
a lot of these minerals thathave to do with iron, copper,
and zinc and potassium, we seeiron and ferritin improve
without high dosesupplementation.
Obviously if we're addressingthe gut as well, if there's
something coming from that.
(19:18):
So here is why supplementingisn't always the answer and why
I think so many people get stuckbecause you're told your iron is
low.
Just take a supplement.
So you go, you grab iron and youhope your energy comes.
Back, but instead you'rebloated, you're constipated, you
have stomach pain, and then yourlabs are doing crazy stuff.
So if that sounds familiar,you're definitely not alone.
(19:40):
And the truth is that digestionand pathogens and inflammation
could all be part of thepicture, and your body needs to
be able to use the iron thatyou're taking.
And we don't also want to beadding more fuel to a fire
that's still burning.
So that can happen because ironcan also be pretty irritating to
the gut lining.
(20:00):
When your digestion is alreadycompromised, it can feed
bacteria and pathogens, like Imentioned, especially if you
have SIBO or parasites or hpylori.
Those are common things that wesee with clients we work with.
So instead of solving theproblem, you're just
supplementing iron in increasinginflammation, making your
constipation worse, and yourbody is still really struggling
(20:22):
to absorb what it needs.
Which is why we need to supportthe terrain of your gut.
We need to improve digestion.
We need to support gut motility.
We need to clear infections.
We need to rebalance minerals.
We need to give the body all thetools that it needs.
And this sounds reallycomplicated, but.
It really isn't when you're ableto get the correct testing and
(20:44):
get all the pieces of the puzzlelaid out right in front of you
and you have someone to walk youthrough exactly what to do, it
really is fairly straightforwardon, okay, here's the plan and
kind of here's where we'reheaded.
We're not navigating this in thedark and we know exactly what we
need to do.
So there, this is the differencebetween chasing your symptoms or
(21:07):
band-aiding your symptoms, andactually addressing the system.
When you rebuild the terrain,your body finally has what it
needs and it becomes a loteasier.
And then it's not a chronicproblem, right?
Like you're not having to.
Constantly take mega doses ofiron or constantly worry about
this.
So now that we've uncovered thewhy behind iron, let's talk
(21:30):
about some functional clues,like just little patterns that
help us connect the dots betweenyour symptoms and your labs and
what could be going onunderneath.
So low ferritin is a common onethat we see.
Maybe you notice you get bloatedor nauseous after eating
protein.
If those two things are going onwith you, and again, by the way,
(21:52):
this is not diagnostic, consultyour medical provider.
All the legal things I'msupposed to say, I'm just
pointing out some patterns.
If you have low ferritin and youalso get bloated or nauseous
after eating, that is a big redflag for low stomach acid and
possibly h pylori.
So your body is.
Probably, or possibly notbreaking down food efficiently,
(22:13):
which also could mean that's whyyou're not absorbing iron or
other minerals very well.
Maybe you have the opposite.
You have high ferritin, but youstill feel tired and inflamed.
Maybe you have joint pain, acnethat often points to
inflammation or infection.
And your mo, your body may beintentionally locking iron away
(22:33):
to protect itself.
So even though your ferritinlooks high, you could be
functionally iron deficient.
Or just sequestering that ironaway from some kind of
infection.
So navigating.
The testing to look at thatwould be really helpful.
And then let's say you have lowiron and constipation.
This is a sign of classic slowmotility or mineral imbalances.
(22:56):
We need minerals to help our gutcontract, and that sluggishness
can affect everything from bileflow to detox to nutrient
absorption, which is why testingreally matters because blood
work alone is not gonna tell thefull story.
We want to see how your gut isfunctioning, how your minerals
are balanced, not just what'sfloating around in your blood.
(23:19):
That's why inside our programswe definitely use blood work.
But whether you're working withour client in really any of our
programs, we're gonna use acombination of testing GI Map,
HTMA blood work to piecetogether the whole picture if
you've got iron stuff going on,because we wanna see how all
these systems are goingtogether.
(23:40):
So what can you actually do ifyour ferritin or iron numbers.
Aren't where you want them tobe, and maybe you're gonna jump
into testing, but you want someactionable steps that you can do
right now.
The first step, of course, is tostop guessing, because Iron
Balance is never just abouttaking more iron.
It's about creating the rightenvironment.
(24:01):
And so while you're waiting ongetting more answers on the
whole picture, let's start withthe top of digestion.
Stomach acid support.
If you're dealing with bloating,nausea, gas, burping, undigested
food in your stool, low iron,you need to support your stomach
acid most likely.
So using things like digestivebitters, supporting minerals
(24:24):
that drive stomach acidproduction like sodium and zinc,
and.
Always consult your healthprovider.
In some cases you might needHCL.
That's not my go-to, and I wouldnot recommend that if you don't
know if you have h pylori ornot.
When stomach acid is optimized,you're gonna absorb iron.
You're gonna absorb B12 proteinall without the digestive
(24:45):
discomfort.
Next is addressing infectionsbefore you push iron.
So getting rid of parasites, hpylori, yeast overgrowth, and
giving your body more iron canactually make you feel worse.
So.
Clearing the terrain is going toallow you to utilize and store
iron properly.
Also, looking at minerals,repleting minerals, and focusing
(25:08):
on balancing minerals likecopper and zinc and potassium
and magnesium.
So your body can utilize ironcorrectly.
Copper will help mobilize it.
So definitely looking at copper,whether it's on an HTMA or blood
work and ideally both.
Usually we're running a fullMonty blood work panel, so we
can look at ceruloplasmin andall of that as well, and
(25:32):
balancing your minerals so thatyour body can recycle iron.
Without the inflammation andconstipation that comes with
that.
Another gentle option that Ioften use with clients and that
I'm actually currently taking, Ishared this on Instagram maybe a
couple weeks ago and I got abunch of questions about it, is
lactoferrin.
(25:52):
Lactoferrin is a bioactive andit helps to bind to iron safely.
It supports immune function.
It has mild antimicrobialproperties and can help.
Prevent pathogens from feedingon iron.
So whether you have low or highlactoferrin can be good.
(26:13):
It also acts as a prebiotic,which means it's gonna support
the growth of beneficial gutbacteria and regulate how the
body utilizes and stores iron.
And this is really wherepersonalization matters because
there's no one size fits all.
There's a reason your ferritinand your iron are off.
For one person, it might be poorabsorption for another, it might
be copper for another.
(26:34):
It might be an underlyinginfection.
And so guessing on this.
It's just gonna waste your timeand waste your money and maybe
actually make things worse,which is where functional
testing is so powerful becauseyou're not just throwing darts
in the dark and instead you'refinally gonna understand what's
going on with your body.
So just to wrap this up, if yourferritin or your iron labs have
(26:55):
never made sense.
Maybe they're low one year highthe next, or maybe they're
always low, and you just don'tseem to, it doesn't match how
you feel.
It might not be your diet.
It might not mean that you justneed to eat more steak.
It's usually other things thatare going on.
So learning to understand theconnections between your
(27:15):
digestion and your minerals andinflammation and your
microbiome.
You can start to see why ironmight not be fixing your fatigue
or what really the true.
Portion of this is so of course,if you are ready to stop
guessing and finally figure thisout, that's exactly what we do
inside of gut together.
(27:35):
It's a custom one-on-oneprogram.
We're going to use functionaltesting like stool testing and
HTMA, and we'd love to work withyou.
And then if this episode hithome, you definitely wanna join
me live for my brand new webinaron October 19th.
So we're gonna test out a Sundaywebinar to see if that helps
with work schedules and afterschool sports and all the things
(28:00):
we're gonna be digging deeperinto sibo and specifically why
so many people stay stuck aftermultiple rounds of
antimicrobials or antibiotics ordiets.
So even if you haven't beendiagnosed with sibo, but you
struggle with bloating orconstipation or diarrhea.
And no matter what you do,you're stuck.
(28:20):
Make an effort to be there.
It's gonna be good.
I'm really excited about theupdates that I am making to this
webinar.
And.
It's gonna be fun, so make sureyou can be there.
I put a poll up on Instagram, soI think it's gonna be sometime
in the afternoon, but TBD, we'llput all the link in the show
notes for the time and all ofthat.
But we'll talk about the role ofslow motility infections, how to
(28:42):
rebuild your gut so you can feelbetter for good.
You can pre-register using thelink in the show.
And I can't wait to see youthere because your gut matters
and you feeling good matterstoo.
So see you next time on the nextepisode of the Love Your Gut
podcast.
Thanks for joining.
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