WHY YOUR ANEMIA MIGHT NOT BE LOW IRON
When I was pregnant with Payson I was told I had low platelets/iron. I was sent to a hematologist and she did all sorts of blood work. Thats a story for another day but the experience led me to dig deeper into iron deficiencies and anemia so that’s what I’m sharing today!
Turns out- a lot of “anemia” is really a copper deficiency. Also, low levels in pregnancy aren’t always what they seem but for the purposes of this post I’m not talking about pregnancy. Our body has an iron recycling system and it can be complicated to understand but basically if this system isn’t working properly then iron can become stuck in your tissues and not in your blood where it needs to be. What does your body need for it to be able to move that iron? Copper! & it turns out copper deficiency can be quite common.
Why is that?
The ratio of copper to iron can be skewed because we are actually inundated with iron- especially if you eat the standard American diet which is mostly processed food that has been fortified with excess iron.
Zinc and vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid (which is most typical supplements on the store shelves and not real C but that’s a different post) deplete copper absorption. What have we been told to stock up on during the last two years? Zinc and vitamin C! People have likely been megadosing on these.
Copper requires Retinol which is a fat soluble vitamin (A) found primarily in organ meats and the fat in animal products like butter, milk, tallow, etc… & a lot of people undereat these items.
Iron overload can actually be a problem because the only way we lose iron is through blood loss. It’s not excreted through bowels/urine output like copper is. When iron accumulates in high amounts it can lead to an overload in the body in certain organs. This can lead to liver failure, heart muscle deterioration, arthritis and hormonal imbalances.
Infections/viruses also feed off of iron. As one example, I’ve been told by a doctor that she had a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and she went to get an iron infusion and it caused her RA to flare up. This is releveant to me because I have Epstein-Barr Virus so knowing what I know now I am SO thankful I didn’t have a flare up while pregnant due to iron overload. Basically if you have an underlying virus that’s dormant or an autoimmune disease, getting an infusion could potentially cause a flare because that iron fuels it.
Copper rich foods include shellfish, dark leafy greens, nuts, organ meats, beans, cocoa, potatoes and fruit. Your body doesn’t store these in large amounts so we need to eat these foods on a regular basis.
This is a very basic overview and I encourage you to research further! Im not a medical professional so please take ownership and do your own digging. I’ve compiled a list of resources below if you want to inquire further.
WEBSITES
https://therootcauseprotocol.com/iron-toxicity-post-81/
https://www.drlaurendeville.com/articles/iron-deficiency-copper-deficiency/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/copper-deficiency/
https://umzu.com/blogs/health/iron-deficiency-anemia-is-a-misdiagnosis
https://explore.globalhealing.com/copper-deficient/
https://therootcauseprotocol.com/a-birthday-gift-from-morley-to-you/
https://suzycohen.com/articles/copper-deficiency-causes-hypertension-high-cholesterol/
https://therootcauseprotocol.com/iron-toxicity-post-75-formerly-itp76/
https://therootcauseprotocol.com/iron-toxicity-post-54-a-tale-of-two-cities/
https://iythealth.com/copper-zinc-deficiency/
PODCASTS
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/are-you-menstrual/id1568547321?i=1000528570432
Episode # 6
INSTAGRAM PAGES
https://instagram.com/realfoodgangstas?utm_medium=copy_link
Check out their “anemia” highlight.
https://instagram.com/innatefunctionalnutrition?utm_medium=copy_link
Check out the “iron and copper” highlight.
https://instagram.com/mattblackburn?utm_medium=copy_link
Check out the “iron” highlight.
https://instagram.com/rootcauseclinic?utm_medium=copy_link
Check out their whole page
@EmmaLee_Awake Anemia Highlight
The Copper Revolution by Jason Hommel
We've been nerding out about iron and copper this week, and a lot of you have been asking how to get more copper.
These are my favorite high copper foods:
+ Beef liver—also has vitamin A, which is important for using copper in the body.
+ Citrus fruit—whole food form of vitamin C, which also has copper.
+ Bee pollen/royal jelly—rich in copper and B vitamins.
+ Shellfish—rich in copper and other minerals such as zinc, selenium, and iodine.
+ Cacao—rich in copper and magnesium.
It's important to include foods that boost copper, but it's also important to reduce things that deplete it. Two common supplements that deplete copper are:
1. Zinc: Zinc and copper are antagonists. Supplementing with zinc increases metallothionein production, which binds to copper and makes it unavailable for use in the body.
2. Ascorbic acid: Most vitamin C supplements are mainly ascorbic acid, which has been shown to reduce plasma and liver concentrations of copper and make it less active in the body. We always want whole food vitamin C.
These foods and tips help to boost copper and prevent the body from depleting it. Another helpful way to improve how much copper is available for use in the body is red light therapy.
Red light helps to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in our mitochondria. This reduction in inflammation allows for better copper balance in the body.
Research shows that the more oxidative stress we have, the more difficult it is to keep copper in balance.
Check out more posts on red light therapy and a blog I wrote on this in my stories!
What does copper have to do with iron? A lot. Iron and copper are the only two metals that regulate oxygen. Iron carries oxygen, and copper activates that oxygen and turns it into water.
Copper is also responsible for regulating the amount of iron that enters the blood. If copper levels are too low, iron remains stored in tissues. This is what causes anemia, or lack of iron “in the blood.” Therefore, copper deficiency leads to iron deficiency.
Focusing your energy on correcting the iron deficiency leaves you neglecting the underlying cause, copper deficiency. For this reason, in 1954, after trying iron supplements, bread, fruit, and even arsenic, scientists were able to cure anemia with beef liver.
The other interesting thing is that while iron gets all the credit for transporting oxygen in hemoglobin, copper is the mineral that is responsible for moving oxygen and is the only metal that activates oxygen and turns it into water. We also use copper to make ATP, or energy, in the body. One heartbeat requires one billion ATP. If we don't have enough copper in the body or have too much iron, we won't produce enough energy. The balance between copper and iron is critical for adequate energy production, which means it's essential for healthy hormones.
How To Get More Copper:
+ Beef liver (I love Paleovalley's Organ Complex—use code HORMONEHEALINGRD10 for a discount!)
+ Oysters
+ Cooked shiitake mushrooms
+ Cacao powder/chocolate
+ Citrus fruit
+ Chlorophyll
This post is for information purposes only. I cannot give medical advice on this platform. If you'd like more information, check out season 1, episode 6 of the Are You Menstrual? Podcast to learn more about the connection between copper and iron. You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere podcasts are played or check us out on Youtube (link in bio).
Ferritin isn't the best reflection of iron and mineral status in the body.
When you understand more about what ferritin is, I think this will make sense.
Morley Robbins has drastically changed my view of this protein. Here's how he describes ferritin: Ferritin is a protein that's made inside our cells to help store iron. It releases iron when the body needs it.
There are two types of ferritin: heavy chain and light chain. Heavy chain ferritin is loaded with iron using a copper-dependent enzyme.
Ferritin is often measured and referred to as stored iron, but as you can see, that's not the whole story.
Ferritin does store iron; however, it keeps it INSIDE the cells. When we measure ferritin in blood, we are looking at ferritin OUTSIDE the cells.
Ferritin levels outside the cells should be lower. Ferritin leaves the cells when the body signals that it’s time to make more red blood cells.
If you want to look at iron status, look at hemoglobin. 70% of our iron is in hemoglobin. Comparing hemoglobin, serum iron, iron saturation, vitamin A, and copper are important for getting a good picture of iron levels and what is possibly causing dysregulation of iron in the body.
Anemia, specifically so-called “iron deficient” anemia, is an incredibly common diagnosis, particularly among women of child bearing age. Ever since sharing (very briefly) about my experience with anemia in the third trimester of my recent pregnancy, and my refusal to supplement with iron, I’ve gotten so many questions and I’ve been eager to explain it it greater detail ever since!
Here’s this thing: we are all consume plenty of iron. Like MORE than plenty. Too much, in fact. Yet so many of us are told that we’re “iron deficient”. How can this be?
The FDA began the process of food fortification/“enrichment” 🥴 (adding synthetic vitamins and minerals to processed foods) in the 1940’s, iron included. If you start looking at your boxed foods, just about everyone of them has had iron added, along with synthetic vitamins. Birth control pills, multivitamins, and prenatals all have iron. Iron is commonly found in our environment, and naturally in many foods that we eat. It’s everywhere.
Many of us are in an extreme state of IRON OVERLOAD. If you grew up eating cereal, poptarts, or basically anything made with flour, I’m talking to you. We’re being poisoned and our bodies are struggling to survive. Low hemoglobin DOES NOT equal low iron. Low ferritin is also now an accurate marker for overall iron status. Low iron in the blood typically means HIGH iron in the tissue.
So if iron isn’t the issue, how to we address anemia? The answer lies with retinol and bioavailable copper. Iron does not regulate iron. Ceruloplasmin (bioavailable copper) and retinol (vitamin A) regulate iron.
Focus on consuming foods high in copper, whole food vitamin C, retinol-rich foods, and detoxing excess iron!
As always, not medical advice. Talk to your healthcare provider before starting or stopping any medications or supplements.
How to keep your body’s iron levels in check: donate blood & regularly consume foods high in bioavailable copper!
Bioavailable copper is an important part of energy production.
Adequate copper (AND Retinol) consumption help us keep our total iron level in our bodies in check, and we do not want stored iron in our tissues… where it can react with oxygen, causing oxidative stress & inflammation.
Check out our YouTube interview with Morley Robbins: “Iron Overload / You’re NOT anemic” & the “Iron Dangers” article by Dr. Ray Peat.
Iron can be stored in our tissues and 24 mg of iron can be recycled each day via the Reticuloendothelial System (RES), whereas copper needs to be regularly replenished *through food*.
The RES does not necessarily improve if we just throw more iron into the system. Copper & retinol help keep it in check 👍🏼
Note 1: Personally consume seafood 1-2X a week. Unfortunately our oceans are polluted, and some seafood can contain high levels of toxins.
Note 2: Whole Food Vit C contains tyrosinase, which stimulates the liver to produce bio-available copper. So it is important to regularly consume Whole Food Vit C sources, as well!
Note 3: Copper in its bioavailable form (ceruloplasmin) requires Vitamin A in the form of retinol (not in plants), which is why we love liver since it is high in copper & retinol!
Note 4: Ladies - this is another reason why regular periods are important! It’s our own way of iron detoxing!
So, here are some of our favorite ways to get our bioavailable copper in! If you do not like/do not have access to some of these sources, we also include our favorite whole food supplements for bioavailable copper.
Copper is one of the most underdiscussed minerals for your health, and I believe deficiencies in copper explains why so many people are sick.
I eat copper daily to support ceruloplasmin which removes iron from cells.
They don't tell you that you can recycle your iron stores...most of which are way too high in your tissues.
This is why copper is so important because it can help regulate iron levels.
Copper runs your immune system and you need some every single day for it to function optimally.
Your body has over 20 copper dependent enzymes that are critical for ATP production. Yet most people don't eat any copper & they supplement with zinc & iron which deplete the copper they do have further.
What is the function of copper?
Copper is a metal that is required in over 20 different enzymes. Here are a few that require it:
#1 Cytochrome C Oxidase: This is the last step in the mitochondria's oxidation to generate without ATP. Without copper, your mitochondria will not function optimally. Given energy production is not just critical to health but it is health, it makes sense why so many people are sick.
#2 Ceruloplasmin: Ceruloplasmin is produced in the liver and is one of the most important enzymes. It acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing oxidized iron (also known as rust), which plays a major role in aging. Ceruloplasmin also helps to recycle iron out of your cells and into your bloodstream to make red blood cells. In fact, many people with anemia really just have low copper.
#3 Superoxide dismutase: SOD is one of the body's main endogenous antioxidant systems. The process of energy generation creates free radicals (or oxidants) that wreak havoc if not neutralized. Without copper, your body cannot make this critical antioxidant.
#4. Lysyl Oxidase: Required to link collagen and elastin...translation, if you want youthful, elastic looking skin, you need copper. It also helps maintain the connective tissue in the heart and blood vessels too.
One of the best sources of copper is beef liver.
This is one of the main reasons why I recommend half a bag of my liver crisps a day. Before that, I was eating pennies but could not handle the taste.
The Root Cause Protocol (RCP) is ideal during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The only exclusion is diatomaceous earth (DE) and stabilized rice bran since we do not know the effects it has on the baby since they can be detoxing.
Minerals are so important to pregnant Mums and breastfeeding Mums. There is no anemia of iron deficiency, it is just lack of functional iron, big difference. Use the RCP to help get the iron functional.
However, using ferritin only blood test to determine iron deficiency is not a sign of iron vitality. It takes bioavailable copper as expressed via ferroxidase enzyme function, which lowers as the pregnancy progresses. You need bioavailable copper to load iron into ferritin. So low ferroxidase means low ferritin. You need more bioavailable copper not more iron.
Normal hemoglobin (Hgb) for women is 12.5-13.5. When a woman is pregnant, this level stays the same for the first half of the pregnancy. During the second half of the pregnancy, Hgb should drop to between 8.5-9.5. This is called hemodilution (which is the research of Dr. Steer who examined 150,000 live births).
Disclaimer: This post should be carefully considered and not mis-interpretted to suggest that any one mineral is simply good or bad. Iron is extremely nuanced and this post is aimed raising awareness of how the allopathic and naturopathic training of iron diagnostics is "misleading" at best, and frankly irresponsible in some cases ⛔
I urge anyone who's been told they're anaemic (or any practitioners wanting to better serve their "iron deficient" patients) to dig deeper and question their understanding.
You'll realise its much more than assessing "iron + ferritin levels" and instead is critically dependent on elements like bioavailable copper, ceruloplasmin, retinol and Magnesium upstream of these iron markers.
Why does this matter? 🤷🏽♂️
Because adding more synthetic iron when you've been deemed anaemic, can drive your "tissue-trapped iron" and therefore inflammation through the roof - and never solve the underlying cause.
Here's the kicker...
When in the right supply, these elements (Mg, Cp, Cu) keep iron in the right place and out of tissues and fuel the body's iron recycling system (RES). The result is managed inflammation, happy numbers, healthy ageing, low oxidative burden etc. Our ancestors kicked ass at this! 🧬
When these elements are deficient or imbalanced (MOST IF NOT ALL "ANAEMIC" PATIENTS), this results in what looks like low iron on paper, but excess trapped levels of iron in the tissue - causing rust, attracting pathogens and driving up inflammation. We were all taught to simply add more iron when we see low iron & ferritin right? And usually using synthetic supplements - with absolutely no knowledge or regard for the importance of bioavailable Copper - the main "iron-orchestrator" when its correctly bound to CERULOPLASMIN .
Read that sentence again.
Instead we're taught that Copper is toxic! 🤦🏽♂️ Thats one's another story.
CERULOPLASMIN ⚡- Has your practitioner tested you for it??
Trigger warning ⚠️⛔️
We need good stores of ‘bioavailable copper’ to load the iron we consume from our diet into ‘ferritin’ - via the ‘ferroxidase and ceruloplasmin’ enzymes - which 95% of conventional doctors have never heard of. Read that again slowly.
It is this lack of bioavailable copper that causes iron to accumulate in the tissues, especially in the liver - which leads ultimately to excessive inflammation and oxidative stress.
This can absolutely lead to what then looks like ‘iron deficiency or anaemia’ due to low blood readings - which most practitioners are then trained to treat with iron supplementation. Worst thing to do in this situation! Why? All the body does is continue to put that iron away into tissue which then worsens the inflammatory/oxidative burden , meanwhile bioavailable copper has not been addressed nor thought of due to our conventional training around iron.
Did I mention that iron is also the number one fuel source for parasites, bacteria and viruses?
What I’ve learnt over the years is that all is not as it seems when it comes to iron and a select number of others such as D3, ascorbic acid, zinc and molybdenum. More to come on these soon! 📣
🔹Killilea and Ames 2004
🔹Weiss and Goodnough 2005
🔹Wessling-Resnick 2010.