hi a friend of mine has low iron stores but not low hemoglobin maybe someone can explain why?

Question

Also if there is a solution, that you know of. Thanks!

Answer 1

A low hemoglobin reflects a much later stage of iron deficiency, to really be sure you have enough iron in your body, your doctor may send you to the laboratory to measure the serum ferritin, the level of iron in blood that accurately reflects iron stores. This is an important consideration, since with a normal hemoglobin and low ferritin levels the iron stores can be restocked by simply increasing the amount of iron in your diet. By the time the hemoglobin is low, iron supplements are usually needed.

Answer 2

I agree with the previous answer - the body will make red cell production its highest priority (The red blood cells carry oxygen; both hemoglobin and hematocrit values are based on the amount of red blood cells in ones blood.) If iron is in short supply, the body will make blood from the reserves (and a healthy person has several month's worth of reserves of iron), and even short other bodily processes to ensure enough red blood cells. When everything else is exhausted, the hemoglobin/hematocrit will start to drop. It sounds as though your friend's deficiency was caught early. The best source of dietary iron is meat (while dark green, leafy vegetables have iron, it's not absorbed by the body as well as the iron in meat). Some people do require supplements, even at this stage, if they can't (or won't) change the way they eat enough.