It's not easy to ELI5 this. Iron level basically just measures the amount of "free" iron released by your body into your bloodstream at the very second that your blood was drawn. It will change from hour to hour and day to day. The iron level is basically meaningless because it doesn't tell you anything about how much iron you actually have in your body. For example, your body needs a certain amount of iron in your blood at any given point. Even if you're iron deficient, you could have 63 on your lab and you could be iron overloaded, and it could still be 63 on your lab.The iron sat tells you indirectly how much iron is stored in your body. A low saturation means your body stores are low.
Iron vs Iron Saturation? [Hematology]Can anyone explain the practical difference between these two test values (not just the technical definition), and what it would mean if someone had normal Iron but low Iron Saturation?i.e. How could the saturation end up low but the iron level itself stay normal, physiologically?The numbers are 63 mcg and 18%, respectively, in case you're wondering, with the range listed at 50->180 for Iron and 20->48% for the Iron sat.tyvm!Age: 30, Height: 180cm, Sex: M, Non Smoker