Hey 

As you may recall from the mineral balance course (click here if you would like to see the playback) iron absorption is regulated by a hormone called Hepcidin. Hepcidin induction by inflammation is presumed to have evolved to sequester iron from pathogenic microorganisms.

An overgrowth of candida or another type of dysbiosis could definitely impair iron absorption by raising hepcidin. Candida (but also other microbes) can also exquisite iron for its own survival.
Reasons why we lose iron.Men and Women store between 1 and 3 grams of iron. Around 70% of your iron is stored as hemoglobin in the red blood cells. 10-20% is stored in the liver bound in a molecule called ferritin. 
• Heavy menstrual bleeding: Because so much iron is stored in blood menstruating women are in need of more than double the amount of iron than men on a daily basis. At the beginning of the menstrual cycle, women lose 2mg of iron extra. Heavy menstrual bleeding can contribute to her loss of iron
• Blood loss somewhere in the GI tract: A dark stool usually can be a sign of that. Do you know if she has a dark stool?
• Shedding of the skin & mucosal lining:  We lose 1 mg due to the shedding of the skin & mucosal surfaces like the lining of your gut. Possibly she is losing more iron because a dysbiosis/candida overgrowth is taxing the lining of her gut making her shed more on a daily basis. If she loses more skin (for example with dandruff) this can contribute as well.
• Long-distance running & intense frequent workouts exercise can also contribute to increased iron loss. 

Starting to reduce inflammation in the gut sounds like a very good first step in healing the body and making it more ready for iron absorption again.

If you need more tips, let us know!

Hi  – I’d also like to add to Daniel’s comment that certain mycotoxins have been shown to inhibit heme synthesis. Is she still in a moldy environment? If mold is at play, then you can expect parasites to be in the picture along with the yeast/fungal overgrowth – they are “frenemies”. Parasites love to eat iron!

I discuss many other risk factors for iron deficiency in the video Daniel shared as well. Copper for instance is an essential mineral for iron absorption. Have her copper, zinc, and ceruloplasmin levels been checked?

Let’s keep the conversation going and please ask your friend to join us here so we can help guide her better.

 if mold is indeed part of her picture, then she needs to prioritize avoidance of mold. Meaning, getting a mold inspector and then taking proper actions to remediate or move out. It becomes very difficult to heal as long as a person is living in a moldy environment. It’s like trying to fill a sink with the drain open… they will feel a little better, but real progress will only be made once you’re out of the environment that is making you sick. Makes sense?