Boost iron levels without changing your diet

Quantum biologic ways to support iron absorption and iron recycling while reducing iron toxicity

Red iron, red blood.

Hi folks! Today, I wanted to re-introduce my Quantum Anemia Theories series and give another broad overview of why we need a better approach to understanding iron deficiency and all the different kinds of anemia.

Housekeeping: As a reminder, posts in this series are free for the first month, and then they go behind the paywall. This helps me focus my time when replying to questions and comments, which I always appreciate.

What does a holistic approach to boosting iron levels include?

To me, a holistic approach to iron metabolism will focus on four strategies:

1. Intake

2. Absorption

3. Recycling

4. Preventing toxicity

Most practitioners are quick recommend boosting intake in cases of anemia or iron deficiency, because it’s very actionable and easy to explain.

When things are easy to explain, it’s easier to get clients to buy into ideas and actually remember what they are supposed to do.

Since you can easily find advice for iron intake strategies (like iron-rich foods, iron supplements, and medically administered iron infusions) elsewhere, this series is intended to dive deeper on the other things we can do.

If you are new to this series, I shared more about the need for a holistic approach to anemia in the first post:

If intake is adequate and low iron levels or anemia are still a problem, or if intake is low, but adverse symptoms arise from supplementation—and I’ve talked to many people in these situations—where can you go next?

That’s basically the big question I wanted to answer in this series.

Three ways to boost iron levels without changing the contents of your diet

1. Iron absorption strategies will maximize what the body can do with the iron it gets. So, with better iron absorption, you can have the same iron intake, but a greater iron uptake. This is an obvious addition to any work you are doing to increase iron intake through diet and supplements.

2. Iron recycling strategies will maximize the body’s ability to keep the iron it already has. So with better iron recycling (which should account for 80-90% of the daily iron needs), you can have the same iron stores, but a lower iron turnover rate. This translates to a lower needed intake to balance out the body’s iron use—also an obvious addition boosting iron intake.

3. And, finally, it’s important to realize how very toxic iron can be. Iron toxicity reduction strategies become especially important when dealing with chronic inflammation, iron supplements, and certain genetic traits.

Why haven’t you heard about strategies besides increasing intake before?

I really wish there was an easy, simple way to figure out what each person needs to do to fix their iron levels.

But iron metabolism is anything but simple¹.

Not only that, but given that supplemental iron can be toxic to certain people (even people who measure “iron-deficient”)², it can be difficult to predict how an individual will respond to any given treatment protocol.

Some people feel amazing when treated medically for iron deficiency, while others can have severe negative symptoms, even up to death³.

This is where holistic and quantum approaches can really shine as supportive strategies for iron levels because they work with the body’s own metabolism in synergy with the immediate environmental factors and resources.

Iron Absorption

This includes things like supporting your gut lining and microbiome, eating high-iron foods paired with Vitamin C foods, which increase absorption, and eating high-calcium foods separately from high-iron foods because calcium inhibits absorption. Prioritizing eating in the morning and afternoon when the digestive system is at its circadian peak also helps the body utilize nutrients most efficiently. This is fascinating because you can have all the same things in your diet, but the way you pair them and the time you eat them can actually cause a higher or lower level of iron absorption.

Iron Recycling

Iron recycling should account for 80-90% of the total iron the body needs and relates to the health of your blood.

You may be able to help your blood cells live longer by reducing exposure to non-native electromagnetic frequencies (nnemfs)⁴ and balancing your redox⁵ . These are topics we’ll be exploring later in the series in greater detail, so make sure you are on the list for updates if you want to learn more about that.

First, here’s where you can catch up on iron recycling and how to support it:

First question for anemia: what is your body doing with the iron you already have?

Your liver, sleep and anemia problems might all be connected

We covered a lot in those posts, especially about how circadian health controls the body’s ability to recycle iron efficiently.

A good circadian rhythm boosts melatonin, and this ties directly into the question of iron’s potential to be toxic.

Iron toxicity and iron overload

The awesome thing about optimizing melatonin alongside any iron protocols you are trying out is that melatonin also supports health in case of iron toxicity. Iron overload is associated with health problems just like iron deficiency is.

Iron overload as a highly risk factor, can be found in almost all human chronic and common diseases. Iron chelators are often used to treat iron overload; however, patient adherence to these chelators is poor due to obvious side effects and other disadvantages. Numerous studies have shown that melatonin has a high iron chelation ability and direct free radical scavenging activity, and can inhibit the lipid peroxidation process caused by iron overload. Therefore, melatonin may become potential complementary therapy for iron overload-related disorders due to its iron chelating and antioxidant activities.⁶

On the practical side, some things you can get to make your night lights more melatonin-friendly (use at home and at work, if you work before sunrise or after sunset):

• For your computer: Flux software

• Nightlights and bulbs: Block Blue Light ← code NIKKO at checkout gets you 10% off

• For covering all the little LEDs (like flashlights, little blue indicator lights on TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, etc): LaminX auto tape

We’ll be continuing this conversation in the Quantum Anemia Theories series all year long. The more I have learned about iron metabolism and anemia, the more I have had to acknowledge the need for more comprehensive anemia protocols to be available.

It’s not enough to just throw iron supplements at deficiency and anemia!

1. Slusarczyk, P., & Mleczko-Sanecka, K. (2021). The Multiple Facets of Iron Recycling. Genes, 12(9), 1364. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes12091364

2. Georgieff, M. K., Krebs, N. F., & Cusick, S. E. (2019). The Benefits and Risks of Iron Supplementation in Pregnancy and Childhood. Annual review of nutrition, 39, 121–146. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-nutr-082018-124213

3. McCulley, L., Gelperin, K., Bird, S., Harris, S., Wang, C., & Waldron, P. (2016). Reports to FDA of fatal anaphylaxis associated with intravenous iron products. American Journal of Hematology, 91(12). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.24531

4. Jbireal JM, Azab AE, Elsayed ASI. Disturbance in haematological parameters induced by exposure to electromagnetic fields. Hematol Transfus Int J. 2018;6(6):242-251. DOI: 10.15406/htij.2018.06.00193

5. Bissinger, R., Bhuyan, A. A. M., Qadri, S. M., & Lang, F. (2019). Oxidative stress, eryptosis and anemia: a pivotal mechanistic nexus in systemic diseases. The FEBS journal, 286(5), 826–854. https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.14606

6. Yang, J., Tang, Q., & Zeng, Y. (2022). Melatonin: Potential avenue for treating iron overload disorders. Ageing research reviews, 81, 101717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2022.101717