BobTheOldLifter Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 (edited) Any thoughts or ideas on dropping hematocrit a little? All my blood markers have shown dramatic improvement since TRT and some weight loss, but my hematocrit bumps over the 50% mark here and there. I don't think it's a big deal, but my doc wants it lower. I give blood on a regular basis, but again, I still need it to drop a bit. Read something recently about grapefruit, so I'm giving that a shot. May try some hyper-hydration before next blood test, but any other ideas most welcome. Therapeutic phlebotomy is problematic - I guess they don't do that anymore for some reason. Edited November 11, 2019 by BobTheOldLifter punctuation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zbignew Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 Grapefruit does help with phagocytosis: the scavenging of old red blood cells. Drinking grapefruit juice in conjunction with regular blood donation helped get my ferritin levels down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 23 hours ago, BobTheOldLifter said: Any thoughts or ideas on dropping hematocrit a little? All my blood markers have shown dramatic improvement since TRT and some weight loss, but my hematocrit bumps over the 50% mark here and there. I don't think it's a big deal, but my doc wants it lower. I give blood on a regular basis, but again, I still need it to drop a bit. Read something recently about grapefruit, so I'm giving that a shot. May try some hyper-hydration before next blood test, but any other ideas most welcome. Therapeutic phlebotomy is problematic - I guess they don't do that anymore for some reason. Give Blood my brother ! at least 3 x time a year and everything goes to normal! and you help ppl as a bonus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey5150 Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 I just want to leave a reply in this thread in case others come searching for it, or have questions about it - just because we had a little conversation about this in the talk box. Sometimes (not all the time) a reduction in iron can lead to improvements in your hematocrit. Also worth noting as an aside, AAS increase hemoglobin which in turn is going to increase hematocrit. Hydration should be number 1, as levels of dehydration can impact this. Second, I'd elevate your dietary choices to make sure you're not consuming a fair amount of iron containing foods (just a quick note, a LOT of bodybuilding foods are high in iron). Third start looking at supplements to help control iron, I have seen a difference in my own blood work and those of my clients. Some of these supplements would be Curcumin (amazing supplement that everyone should be using for multiple reasons), Green Tea Extract - but nothing will beat IP6 - this form of inositol is the BEST Iron chelator and its CHEAP - so go do some research on it, and get it! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vortex Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 @Corey5150 well put! Great share, brother. Often people will also donate blood to reduce hematocrit levels, just be aware that it can leave you fatigued after. Another method of potential reduction (mostly for TRT doses) is to practice more frequent/smaller injections. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobTheOldLifter Posted December 11, 2019 Author Share Posted December 11, 2019 Thanks gents, I will give those supps a shot, and continue to eat buckets of grapefruit! I give blood regularly as well, as often as I can. I'm O neg, so I kinda consider it a public service anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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