I’ve shared on Instagram how important iron recycling is when tackling stubborn gut and skin symptoms. 

Here’s a quick run down on why: 

• ♻ iron is a critical metal – but inflammatory if it’s not regulated. Regulated meaning it’s properly moving from the tissues to the blood (or what is referred to as iron recycling). Tissues meaning liver, spleen, bone marrow, etc.
• 🔥 If you are not properly moving iron = iron will get stuck in tissues = uptick in inflammation and oxidative stress 
• 👀 too much iron in tissues (not regulated) can feed fungus, parasites, bacteria, and infections 
• 🥩 it takes 25 mg of iron to support RBC production and iron recycling helps us produce 24mg of iron every 24 hours – so filling the 1mg gap from diet alone is quite simple! 

How to know if poor iron recycling is an issue for you? 

One of the biggest red flags for poor iron recycling is having low (or lower) iron in the blood (presenting as iron deficiency anemia).

Despite looking like LOW iron – only 4% of iron is in the blood.

So, the next big question is – if it’s not in the blood, where is it? 

Here are some non-negotiable labs I run to get a full picture of iron recycling: 

• Iron panel (TIBC, % saturation, iron, ferritin) 
• hemoglobin, RBC 
• Transferrin (loads iron) 
• Vitamin A, ceruloplasmin, copper 

Here’s why: 

Also, having HIGH iron in the blood indicates iron overload both in blood & in tissues. Just as inflammatory, you’ll want to remove some of that iron (serum iron 120+). 

Let’s do an example: 

When my client, Stella, came to me, her iron was low @ 38. 

After supporting iron recycling (moving iron from tissues ♻), her iron jumped to 155 – WITHOUT an iron supplement. Demonstrating that there was plenty of iron in the body, she just needed to move it. 

& being that this client struggled with acne, constipation, bloating, and sensitivities to high FODMAP foods – regulating iron was crucial for symptom improvement. 📈

The Takeaway…

A true root cause approach means approaching every single case, from every single angle – iron recycling being (a big) one of them.