Daily Logs for Sep 19, '26

Written by: Tushar Sharma

Featured image for Daily Logs for Sep 19, '26

Dear Vishi, dear logs for today.

I had a blood test. My ferritin is 25 ng/ml. This may suggest low iron stores, though the lab range and other results are also important.

Lets understand how iron is useful in our body. RBC in our blood carry O2. RBC have a protein called haemoglobin which contains iron. The iron can bind with oxygen and then it can release it. This is how oxygen is transported.

Serum Iron is another indicator which tells how much iron is circulating in your blood. My Serum Iron was 75 mcg/dL which is within the common reference range. Serum iron can change during the day, while ferritin is a protein that reflects how much iron my body has stored.

I am thinking of getting iron from food sources. But first I need to understand two types of dietary iron:

Heme iron, found in meat, seafood and poultry
Nonheme iron, found in plants like spinach. Meat also contains some nonheme iron

Our body can absorb both heme and nonheme iron, though heme iron is absorbed more easily. After absorption, the body can use the iron to make haemoglobin and other proteins. Few things to remember:

Drinking coffee and tea with a meal can inhibit the absorption of nonheme iron.
Vitamin C on the contrary helps with absorption of nonheme iron.
Iron supplements can also cause constipation.