Iron is a mineral in your body that comes from foods like red meat and fortified cereals or from supplements you take. You need iron to make red blood cells. Iron is also an important part of haemoglobin, a protein in your blood that helps carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.

This test looks at 5 biomarkers to show if you have too much or too little of this vital mineral in your system

Full Iron Profile

Iron is a mineral in your body that comes from foods like red meat and fortified cereals or from supplements you take. You need iron to make red blood cells. Iron is also an important part of haemoglobin, a protein in your blood that helps carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. An iron test can show if you have too much or too little of this mineral in your system.

Ferritin - Ferritin is a protein which stores iron. This test indicates if your body's iron stores are low and you have iron deficiency or if you have too much iron. It could also point to liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, other inflammatory conditions or hyperthyroidism.

Iron Serum - A serum iron test measures how much iron is in your serum. Serum is the liquid that’s left over from your blood when red blood cells and clotting factors have been removed. The test can reveal abnormally low or high blood iron levels. Having too much iron — or not enough — can cause serious health problems.

TIBC - Total Iron Binding Capacity - A total iron-binding capacity test tells you how much transferrin in your blood is binding to iron, which tells you how well iron is functioning in your body.

UIBC - Unsaturated Iron Binding - Unsaturated iron-binding capacity is related to the total iron-binding capacity test and measures how much transferrin is not yet bound to iron.

Transferrin Saturation - Capacity - Your liver makes a protein called transferrin that attaches to, or binds to, iron in your blood. Once iron is bound to transferrin, it goes to your bone marrow to make red blood cells and haemoglobin, a protein that helps carry oxygen.

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