01Ferritin · the iron store
A hollowshell
Ferritin is a hollow shell of 24 protein subunits that stores iron inside. The small amount that reaches your blood tracks how much iron you have stored. It also rises with inflammation.
- Measured in
- Blood (serum)
- Units
- ng/mL, µg/L
- Also called
- serum ferritin
AWhat moves Ferritin
10 of 27 studied
Moves it6
Human studies found a change. The grade reflects the studies behind it, from A (strongest) to D.
IronRaisesGrade A
Iron raises ferritin.
Moderate effect · 184 studies linked
Griffin 1999: No significant ferritin difference between formula groups in preterm infants at 6 months corrected age (p=0.322) — standard formula iron adequate for store repletion. Franchini 2007 (observational): positive ferritin–Hgb correlation in elderly men supports ferritin as functional iron store marker with ...
- Micronutrient supplementation in preterm infants: a randomized trial of two iron doses (1999)
- Serum ferritin levels correlate with haemoglobin concentration in healthy elderly men (2007)
- Safety and efficacy of intravenous iron therapy in reducing requirement for allogeneic blood transfusion: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials (2013)
- Effects of iron supplementation on cognitive development in school-age children: Systematic review and meta-analysis. (2016)
- Comparison of safety and efficacy of liberal versus restrictive red blood cell transfusion thresholds on the quality of life in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes: a systematic review and meta-an (2026)
- Association of iron status indicators with thyroid hormone concentrations during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2025)
- +178 more studies
Vitamin CRaisesGrade A
Vitamin C raises ferritin.
Meta-analysis or review · 11 studies linked
- Therapeutic effects of high-dose vitamin C supplementation in patients with COVID-19: a meta-analysis. (2024)
- Treatment efficacy of vitamin C or ascorbate given as co-intervention with iron for anemia – A systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies (2023)
- Low phytic acid pea supplementation as an approach to combating iron deficiency in female runners: A randomized control trial. (2025)
- The combined effect of statin and vitamin C in patients with pulmonary septic shock: a single-center, double-blind clinical trial. (2025)
- A randomized trial of once daily versus twice daily dosing of oral iron in CKD. (2023)
- Comparison of Ferric Sodium EDTA in Combination with Vitamin C, Folic Acid, Copper Gluconate, Zinc Gluconate, and Selenomethionine as Therapeutic Option for Chronic Kidney Disease Patients with Improv (2022)
- +5 more studies
Milk thistleLowersGrade B
Milk thistle lowers ferritin.
Human trials · Small effect · 2 studies linked
Ferritin reduction in NAFLD likely reflects reduced hepatocyte damage/inflammation rather than iron chelation. Silybin has demonstrated iron chelating properties in vitro but clinical iron overload data absent. Limited human RCT evidence specifically for ferritin as primary endpoint.
MelatoninLowersGrade B
Melatonin lowers ferritin.
Human trials · 1 study linked
18 studies reference ferritin. NRF2-mediated ferritin upregulation theoretically possible but no clinical data.
ResveratrolLowersGrade B
Resveratrol lowers ferritin.
Human trials · 1 study linked
7 corpus studies. Resveratrol has iron-chelating properties; theoretical ferritin decrease in iron-overload states but unconfirmed clinically. Gap.
NACLowersGrade C
NAC lowers ferritin.
Human trials · Small effect · 0 studies linked
This result is graded, but no study is linked to it yet. Treat it as unconfirmed.
Studied, no change4
Studies looked and found no meaningful change. That is a result, not missing data.
ZincNo changeGrade A
Studies of Zinc found no change in ferritin.
Meta-analysis or review · 8 studies linked
Iron stores (ferritin) remained within normal range despite significant serum iron decrease during 3-month zinc supplementation (10 mg/day) in healthy children. Circulating iron pool is transiently reduced by zinc-iron transporter competition (DMT1/ZIP14) without depleting hepatic/reticuloendothelial iron reserves a...
- Interfacial Engineering of Polymer Membranes with Intrinsic Microporosity for Dendrite-Free Zinc Metal Batteries. (2024)
- de Brito NJN, Rocha EDM, de Araújo Silva A, Costa JBD, Leite LD, Brandão-Neto J, Marchini JS (2014)
- Withdrawing methylphenidate in relation to serum levels of ferritin and zinc in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. (2022)
- The Impact of Consuming Zinc-Biofortified Wheat Flour on Haematological Indices of Zinc and Iron Status in Adolescent Girls in Rural Pakistan: A Cluster-Randomised, Double-Blind, Controlled Effectiven (2022)
- Zinc supplementation improves glucose homeostasis in patients with β-thalassemia major complicated with diabetes mellitus: A randomized controlled trial. (2020)
- The effect of multistrain probiotic supplementation in two doses on iron metabolism in obese postmenopausal women: a randomized trial. (2019)
- +2 more studies
L-carnitineNo changeGrade B
Studies of L-carnitine found no change in ferritin.
Human trials · 3 studies linked
16 studies; ferritin is co-reported with hemoglobin in dialysis anemia trials. L-carnitine's EPO-sparing effect may indirectly improve iron utilization but direct ferritin modulation not established.
- Effect of parenteral L-carnitine in hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19: A randomized double-blind clinical trial. (2025)
- Carnitine status of pregnant women: effect of carnitine supplementation and correlation between iron status and plasma carnitine concentration. (2009)
- Effect of L-carnitine and conjugated linoleic acid supplements on haemoglobin levels and haptoglobin genotype in chronic kidney disease. (2019)
Omega-3No changeGrade C
Studies of Omega-3 found no change in ferritin.
Small effect · 0 studies linked
This result is graded, but no study is linked to it yet. Treat it as unconfirmed.
Ferritin not directly modulated; indirect effects via reduced inflammation (hepcidin pathway) theorised at D grade only.
MagnesiumNo changeGrade D
Studies of Magnesium found no change in ferritin.
0 studies linked
This result is graded, but no study is linked to it yet. Treat it as unconfirmed.
No established Mg-ferritin axis; iron metabolism not meaningfully altered by Mg supplementation in current evidence.
Not studied17
No usable human study has measured Ferritin with these. A gap is not a negative result: nobody has looked.
AshwagandhaBerberineCollagenCreatineFinnish saunaHIITL-theanineLion's maneNAD+PQQRed yeast riceTaurineUbiquinol (CoQ10)Vitamin D3Vitamin EVitamin K2Zone 2 cardio
BThe molecule
Human ferritin light chain
01Twenty-four subunits close into a sphere.
02Cut it open: the cavity inside is where iron is stored.
03One subunit, highlighted. Ferritin is a proxy measurement: storage and inflammation both move it.
The shell is rendered empty: the crystal structure does not include the iron core.
Structure: PDB 2FFX · X-ray 1.9 Å · Wang, Li, Ellenburg & Soistman, 2006. Rendered from atomic coordinates in Blender; 33,456 atoms, about 13.6 nm across.