Home › Biomarkers › Unsaturated iron binding capacity
In a large study in primary care, 209 participants had a hereditary predisposition to too much iron without already knowing it. In 58 of them (28%), unsaturated iron binding capacity was above the cut-off point at one or both of the two measurements. The test would then have missed them.[1]
On this page you can read what unsaturated iron binding capacity is, what the guidelines say about a value that is too low or too high, what affects your value and which other values are best looked at alongside it.
Also known as: UIBC, unsaturated iron-binding capacity. At the lab: n/a.
Unsaturated iron binding capacity is a blood value used when looking for too much iron in the body. It works about as well as transferrin saturation, at a lower cost.[1]
The name describes what is measured: how much room is left in your blood to bind iron.
In the study by Adams and colleagues, the value was measured alongside transferrin saturation, ferritin and genetic testing for the C282Y and H63D variants of the HFE gene.[1]
Transferrin saturation is considered the most widely used first test for an inherited condition in which the body stores too much iron. Unsaturated iron binding capacity performs comparably, at a lower cost.[1]
Both values do fluctuate within the same person. At the cut-off points used, unsaturated iron binding capacity would have missed 28% of the people with this hereditary predisposition. For transferrin saturation, that was 33%.[1]
The researchers conclude that this fluctuation makes the value less suitable as a first test for finding people with this hereditary predisposition.[1]
| Value | Can point to | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 150 micromol/L or lower[1] | Counted in the study as a sign of possibly too much iron | Women |
| 125 micromol/L or lower[1] | Counted in the study as a sign of possibly too much iron | Men |
| Above 150 micromol/L[1] | Not a sign in the study; people with a hereditary predisposition could be missed this way | Women |
| Above 125 micromol/L[1] | Not a sign in the study; people with a hereditary predisposition could be missed this way | Men |
Cut-off points from Adams et al. (2007), a study of too much iron among participants in primary care.[1]
In the study, a value above the cut-off point did not count as a sign of too much iron. Yet some of the people with a hereditary predisposition had such a value at one of the measurements: 58 of the 209 (28%) would have been missed as a result.[1]
A value at or below the cut-off point, 150 micromol/L for women and 125 micromol/L for men, can point to too much iron in the body. That is how the value was used in the study to identify participants.[1]
BioProfile is working on its own zones for each value, from risk to optimal. A doctor reviews those zones before they appear in your result.
At a second measurement, a few months after the first, the same person can have a different value. In the study, that fluctuation was large enough to miss 28% of the people with a hereditary predisposition.[1]
In the study, a fasting blood draw gave no advantage over a regular blood draw.[1]
The study used a different cut-off point for women than for men: 150 micromol/L for women and 125 micromol/L for men.[1]
Unsaturated iron binding capacity is included in all five packages, from BioProfile 31 to BioProfile 150.[2]
The BioProfile editorial team wrote this page on 22 October 2026 from the sources below, which we read on 22 October 2026. Every number on this page comes from one of those sources, with that source's number next to it. An expert is still reviewing this page; after that review, the expert's name and the date of the review will appear at the top. This page explains and does not diagnose. Discuss an abnormal value with your GP.
