The Iron Paradox: The Danger No One Warns You About (Especially After Menopause)
Yes this can also contribute to Dementia.....
Sup?
Ferritin is your body’s iron-storage protein—the vault where your iron reserves live.
And here’s the part almost nobody knows…
High ferritin can be dangerous.
Low ferritin can be dangerous.
And most people have no idea which danger they’re facing.
This is what I call The Iron Paradox, and it becomes even more important—borderline essential—once a woman stops menstruating.
Menstruation is the body’s built-in iron-release valve. Every month, women naturally lose a little iron. It’s the reason younger women tend to struggle with low ferritin… but it’s also the very thing protecting them from high ferritin.
When that monthly release stops, the protection disappears.
Iron can rise silently and aggressively, and most standard lab reviews never catch it.
Iron overload isn’t some uncommon risk. It creates oxidative stress, liver strain, mitochondrial damage, hormonal disruption, and speeds up aging in a way people often write off as “getting older.” Some tissues—like the liver and anterior pituitary—are especially vulnerable….yikes!
But the other extreme is just as rough:
Low ferritin means you can’t make enough healthy red blood cells, so energy stinks, recovery suffers, your workouts feel harder, your brain fog increases, etc…
And here’s the trick that confuses almost everyone:
Low ferritin doesn’t always mean your body needs iron.
Sometimes inflammation is trapping iron in the liver, gut lining, and macrophages—so ferritin looks low while iron is actually storing up in the wrong places. Taking iron in that situation makes everything worse.
That’s the Iron Paradox in plain American :-)
• Too high? Dangerous.
• Too low? Also dangerous.
• Post-menopause? Monitoring is critical
• In Dudes, ignore at your own peril…
This is why functional ranges matter. It’s why “normal labs” don’t tell the real story. And it’s why iron issues respond so well when addressed correctly.
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In Health,
Dr. G
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