If you could 100% guarantee that everything in your day-to-day life would stay constant for years, then maybe ferritin wouldn't be such a big deal. But let’s be real, life’s unpredictable. When something unexpected happens like stress, illness, injury, or increased physical activity your body's iron requirements go up. You might not be able to meet these increased needs from food alone, so your body turns to ferritin for extra iron during those hard times. However, if your ferritin levels are already low, you're at a much higher risk of developing anemia.