Know your Iron Sat.. Know your health.
Test your Iron Saturation (Transferrin Saturation) and 100+ other biomarkers in a single blood draw.
Normal range: 20 – 50 % (higher is better)
Iron saturation (also called transferrin saturation) tells you what percentage of your iron-carrying protein is actually loaded with iron. It is calculated as serum iron divided by TIBC. Low saturation means your iron transport is running mostly empty (iron deficiency). High saturation (above 50%) means it is running at full capacity, which may suggest iron overload or hereditary hemochromatosis.
A normal Iron Sat. is 20 – 50 %. Higher is better.
Low iron saturation is the hallmark of iron deficiency. There is too little iron relative to the available transferrin carriers. Blood loss, poor dietary intake, and impaired absorption are the most common causes.
High iron saturation (above 45-50%) raises suspicion for hereditary hemochromatosis, a genetic disorder affecting about 1 in 200 people of Northern European descent. Excessive supplementation and repeated transfusions can also cause high saturation.
The same lifestyle changes that improve serum iron and TIBC apply here. If saturation is low, increasing dietary iron and treating any underlying blood loss are the priorities. If saturation is persistently high, genetic testing for hemochromatosis may be warranted. Therapeutic phlebotomy (regular blood donation) is the standard treatment for iron overload.
Iron Sat. is most highly correlated with Hematocrit and Mean Platelet Volume. Here are the top biomarkers correlated with Iron Sat., based on 500,000 tests done by Empirical Health.
The percentage shows how strongly two biomarkers move together. A higher number means the relationship is stronger. Green = rises and falls together. Orange = one rises as the other falls.
You can test your Iron Sat. for $190 as part of Empirical's comprehensive health panel, which includes 100 biomarkers.
You can measure your Iron Sat. for at 2,200+ testing locations across the US. Click below and enter your zip code to browse locations near you.
Test your Iron Saturation (Transferrin Saturation) and 100+ other biomarkers in a single blood draw.