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.

Do you want to dig deeper into iron and copper? Check out my iron deep dives part 1 and part 2 and the copper deep dive on the Are You Menstrual? podcast.

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