From the Guidelines
Your blood work shows that your ferritin level is low, at 15.7, which means your body's iron stores are depleted, and this can cause fatigue, weakness, or difficulty concentrating; we should start you on an iron supplement like ferrous sulfate 325mg once daily with vitamin C to help absorption, as recommended by the most recent guidelines 1. Your glucose is slightly on the lower side and your chloride is normal, but the main concern is your iron deficiency, which is common in teenagers due to growth spurts, menstruation in females, or dietary factors, so besides the supplement, I recommend including more iron-rich foods in your diet like lean red meat, beans, spinach, and fortified cereals, as iron deficiency can have negative implications for aerobic performance and overall health, and correcting it can improve quality of life 1.
From the FDA Drug Label
The FDA drug label does not answer the question.
From the Research
Blood Work Results
- Your blood work results show a ferritin level of 15.7, which is considered low, indicating potential iron deficiency 2, 3, 4.
- Your glucose level is 68, and chloride level is 107, which are within normal ranges, and all other labs are normal.
Iron Deficiency and Supplementation
- Iron deficiency can compromise immune response, physical capacity, and intellectual functions, and supplementation can help increase ferritin levels 2, 3, 4, 5.
- Different forms of iron supplementation, such as ferrous sulfate, iron bis-glycinate chelate, and intravenous ferric carboxymaltose, have been shown to be effective in increasing ferritin levels and improving iron status 2, 3, 4, 5.