Increased or regular consumption of iron
- Iron rich foods (oysters, spinach, mussels, chicken, liver, white beans, dark chocolate, iron-fortified bread and breakfast cereal.)
- Supplements eg pills or injections: Taking iron in supplement form, such as ferrous sulfate, allows for more rapid increases in iron levels when dietary supply and stores are not sufficient [ref]. Supplemental iron is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and can transiently increase the serum iron concentration, causing a false elevation. Peak serum iron concentrations occur within 4-6 hours of oral iron supplementation, and the half life of oral iron is 6–8 hours. Thus, rule out supplemental iron taken within 30–40 hours of the blood draw.
Nutrient Interactions
- According to the Natural Medicines Database, Iron Monograph, the following may affect iron levels
- Medications that may lower iron
- https://www.stlukes-stl.com/health-content/medicine/33/000709.htm
- Additionally, according to the attached monograph, aminosalicylic acid and pancreatic enzymes may also reduce iron
Collection Times
- Serum iron levels vary throughout the day as it has diurnal variation. Morning levels are generally assumed to be higher than afternoon or evening levels (Dale et al., 2002).
NOTE: Serum iron levels vary markedly and even fluctuate from hour to hour (Williams et al., 2010) and thus can be transiently elevated. One measurement of a micronutrient is not predictive of a person's 'normative' or 'true value.' – it may be transiently “low” or “high.” Micronutrient studies suggest that 2-3 measurements of a micronutrient are needed to be approximately 80% predictive of a person's normative status or true value, and 4 or more measurements may be necessary to achieve greater than 90% of a person's normative status or true value. I've attached a couple of articles you may find of interest on intra-individual variability of micronutrients
