Getting iron levels up for blood donation

[AskMeHow]

Tried to donate blood almost 3 months ago but was refused as my level was slightly low. Offered another appointment in 3 months which is a couple of weeks away.

What can I do between now and then to try and make sure I don't get refused again?

Lots of iron-rich foods - red meat, leafy dark greens like spinach, broccoli, brown rice, nuts & seeds etc? I know some things can also slow your uptake of iron from foods (I think caffeine?) but I'm not sure what else you could do - you can get iron tablets pretty cheap too!

Taking an iron supplement would be the obvious solution

I take a ferrous sulphate 200mg (or ferrous gluconate 300mg if cheaper) about 3 times a week and that seems to keep my levels high enough to donate (I've also been rejected in the past due to low levels)

make sure the appointment isn't during your period.

eat properly - but if you think there's a problem, see a GP. Don't start taking supplements without medical advice. Blood donation is good but not at the expense of your health.

I applaud your enthusiasm for donation but do be careful with iron supplements, don't be tempted to exceed the recommended dose because overuse can cause genuine harm.

some things can also slow your uptake of iron from foods (I think caffeine?)

Interestingly, tea is one iron uptake inhibitor (it's not the caffeine but other compounds in tea, including tannins):
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5998341/

When this happened to me, the blood people recommended Floradix.

Before rushing to take anything, is it not a good idea to ensure there's no underlying condition ?

My DB kept on getting flagged as "slightly anaemic". Luckily he had it checked, and discovered he has a form of Thalassemia. If he'd pumped up with supplements he could have made himself quite ill.

I drink a lot of tea! I had no idea that can affect it I'll have to look into that to see if I have to give up for a bit.

I can do green leafy veg no problem, and nuts and seeds. I hate brown rice though. I won't be on my period, so that's something. Bit reluctant to start taking iron supplements if I'm honest, seems a bit extreme. Dietary stuff will do for now. If my iron is still a bit low for donating I'll go to the gp.

Take vitamin C with your meals to help the iron absorb. A kiwi after a breakfast of weetabix or a glass of orange juice with a steak salad kind of thing. Avoid eating dairy with meals as calcium is an iron blocker.

Cheap iron supplements aren't much use as you only absorb a tiny proportion & are more likely to end up with gastric symptoms. Ferrous Gluconate has been more effective than ferrous sulphate at raising blood iron levels in trials. Spatone is a very effective supplement - it's sachets of iron - rich water, and in trials it's been effective at improving iron stores without causing side-effects, eg www.rcm.org.uk/news-views-and-analysis/analysis/management-of-iron-deficiency-in-pregnancy.

Tea makes all the difference for me! I have been turned away a couple of times for low iron and realised it's been because I had far too many cups of tea the day before. I have to cut down to 1-2 cups of tea the day before (I usually donate at 8.30am), have broccoli/other green veg and red meat the night before with orange juice, and make sure I have a good breakfast and orange juice (no tea!) on both the morning before and the morning itself. Sometimes I have the Tropicana multivitamin juice instead of plain orange juice as well.

With tea, Gronky is correct that it's the tannins that inhibit iron uptake, so decaf tea won't solve the issue. This BBC Good Food page is quite useful: www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/spotlight-high-iron

Good luck!

Thanks all. Seriously can't believe it was probably the epic amounts of tea I drink that caused the low iron!

Have cut down the tea and replaced with orange juice.

Echo Spatone. Take with a glass of orange or other Vit C juice. Avoid calcium for an hour or so before and after taking for max effect.

Dark chocolate is beneficial too, get some with a high cocoa content.