Evidence check: Ferritin in the context of Darmgesundheit

Ferritin is an iron storage protein commonly used to assess iron status. In the context of gut health, ferritin can provide indirect clues: low ferritin may indicate iron deficiency due to chronic blood loss (e.g., ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, colorectal cancer) or malabsorption (e.g., celiac disease). Elevated ferritin can reflect an acute-phase response (inflammation) or iron overload (hemochromatosis), both of which can affect gut function. However, ferritin is not a specific marker for gut health per se. The evidence linking ferritin to gut diseases is human-strong (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease and iron deficiency anemia). Nevertheless, ferritin should always be interpreted alongside other parameters (CRP, transferrin saturation, stool tests). A single ferritin value without clinical context is insufficient for assessing gut health. Caution: ferritin as an acute-phase protein can be elevated during inflammation even without iron overload. For comprehensive gut diagnostics, more specific methods (colonoscopy, calprotectin, stool culture) are required.