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Minerals

Transferrin saturation: iron from food, uptake in the gut and the result

According to the NVKC, iron from food is absorbed in the gut and bound directly to transferrin, the protein that carries iron through the blood. Transferrin saturation shows what percentage of that transferrin is saturated with iron.

According to the NVKC, iron deficiency from a poor diet or poor gut function can be established with the saturation, as can iron overload, a disease in which the body constantly absorbs too much iron from food. A blood test is the only way to know transferrin saturation.

According to the NVKC, transferrin saturation usually lies between 20% and 45%, and Diagnostiek voor U uses 15 to 45% for women and 20 to 45% for men.

Doctor's Assessment Included

Transferrin saturation shows what percentage of the iron transport protein transferrin is saturated with iron. According to the NVKC, the saturation usually lies between 20% and 45%, and it helps establish whether there is iron deficiency or iron overload.

  • Diagnostiek voor U uses 15 to 45% in women and 20 to 45% in men; Unilabs gives 0.06 to 0.43 in women and 0.12 to 0.43 in men, without a unit.
  • According to the NVKC, in iron-deficiency anaemia transferrin saturation is often below 10%.
  • According to the NVKC, a transferrin saturation above 50%, with iron (much) higher than 20 µmol/l, can point to iron overload.

Reference Ranges

See the value that applies to you:

Choose male or female — this range differs by sex.

Enter your age — this range changes with age.

This range also depends on context such as cycle phase or sample material; the highlighted rows apply to your group.

Male Your group
%
Low 20 Normal 45 High
Female Your group
%
Low 20 Normal 45 High

Source: NVKC Reference population: Dutch adults (NVKC)

Reference ranges may vary between laboratories. When you order a test, a BIG-registered doctor assesses your personal results in context. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.

Check your own value

Transferrin Saturation: what Dutch laboratories use

Reference ranges by group, in %
Diagnostiek voor U · Female 15–45 %
15 45
Diagnostiek voor U · Male 20–45 %
20 45
0 49.5 %

Source: Diagnostiek voor U

Each value as the laboratory itself publishes it, retrieved in 2026.

Transferrin Saturation: what this test measures

Transferrin saturation is the calculated share of transferrin that is saturated with iron, at Diagnostiek voor U as a percentage: Diagnostiek voor U and Unilabs both state that the value is calculated, and Unilabs uses the iron and the transferrin in the blood for that calculation.

Transferrin Saturation: why this value matters

According to the NVKC, transferrin saturation helps establish iron deficiency, and according to Thuisarts a disease that makes it harder for iron to enter the body through the gut can lead to such a deficiency.

Transferrin Saturation: how the blood test works

Referral
No GP referral needed. After the order we arrange the referral through ZorgDomein, within one business day; orders after 17:00 or at the weekend start on the next business day. ZorgDomein emails a barcode, and that barcode is what the draw site needs.
The draw
A blood draw from a vein in the arm, at a partner laboratory's draw site. No home kit, no finger prick.
Which test
Vitamin and Iron Panel · €104,- · Blood Test Iron, Vitamins · €149,-
Where
650+ draw sites run by independent laboratories across the Netherlands. Draw sites

Transferrin Saturation: how to prepare

  1. Preferably fasting

    Recommended

    Coming fasting gives a slightly cleaner value, but it is not required. If it suits you, eat nothing from 22:00 the evening before and drink only water.

  2. Preferably in the morning

    Recommended

    A morning draw makes this value easiest to compare with its reference range. Plan the draw before 10:00 if you can.

  • Water is always fine. Drink as usual beforehand, it makes the draw easier.
  • Take your usual medication, unless your own doctor told you otherwise.

Transferrin Saturation: when is testing worthwhile?

Transferrin saturation follows from the iron and the transferrin in the blood, and according to the NVKC a doctor requests transferrin when an excess or a shortage of iron is suspected.

Transferrin Saturation: symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

According to the NHG, iron-deficiency anaemia lowers transferrin saturation, with iron low and the total iron-binding capacity high. According to Thuisarts, anaemia can show as headache, tinnitus and less colour in the face.

High Levels

According to the NVKC, a transferrin saturation that is too high can point to iron overload, and according to Thuisarts, in hereditary iron overload too much iron in the pancreas can lead to diabetes. According to Thuisarts, too much iron in the blood can also have a cause other than hereditary iron overload, for example inflammation or overweight.

Transferrin Saturation: causes of a low or high value

What lowers the value

  • Iron deficiency from blood loss

    Chronic blood loss can lead to iron deficiency, and women can lose too much blood during menstruation; in the iron-deficiency anaemia that can result, transferrin saturation is often below 10%.

  • Iron deficiency from diet or gut function

    A poor diet or poor gut function can lead to iron deficiency, and transferrin saturation helps establish that deficiency.

What raises the value

  • Iron overload (haemochromatosis)

    With iron (much) higher than 20 µmol/l and a transferrin saturation above 50%, there may be iron overload, in which the body constantly absorbs too much iron from food in the gut.

  • Having just started iron tablets

    A raised result for iron and transferrin saturation can also occur in people who have just started taking iron tablets.

Transferrin Saturation: lifestyle and this value

Your GP is the place to discuss an abnormal transferrin saturation. According to Thuisarts, when someone with hereditary iron overload follows a strict low-iron diet there is a risk of too few vitamins and minerals, and Thuisarts then advises discussing the diet carefully with a doctor or dietitian.

Transferrin Saturation: frequently asked questions

Can eating little iron for years lower transferrin saturation?

According to Thuisarts, the body can have too little iron when someone eats very little iron-containing food for years, and according to the NVKC such an iron deficiency can be established with transferrin saturation.

Transferrin Saturation: sources

  1. Nederlandse Vereniging voor Klinische Chemie en Laboratoriumgeneeskunde. Alles over testen. Over AFP: "De referentiewaarden kunnen verschillen tussen laboratoria, afhankelijk van de methode. Ga daarom uitsluitend af op de referentiewaarden van het laboratorium dat het onderzoek heeft uitgevoerd en interpreteer nooit AFP-uitslagen van verschillende laboratoria door elkaar." Geraadpleegd 14 juli 2026. (retrieved 2026) allesovertesten.nl
  2. Diagnostiek voor U, eLabgids (Referentiewaarden DvU), diagnostiek.getincontrol.eu, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) diagnostiek.getincontrol.eu
  3. NVKC, Alles over testen: IJzer, allesovertesten.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-16 (retrieved 2026) allesovertesten.nl

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