中文导读

社交媒体上流行一种说法：看看自己的脸，就能知道是不是缺铁。据 BBC 10 月 26 日报道，TikTok 和 Instagram 上越来越多“铁蛋白脸”（ferritin face）视频，把黑眼圈、皮肤苍白、头发脆弱等归因于体内储存铁的铁蛋白偏低，部分视频播放量达数百万。文章先解释铁蛋白和血红蛋白的区别：储存铁可能在贫血出现之前就已耗尽，所以没有贫血的人也可能缺铁并出现症状。接着用一位 32 岁博主露西的经历说明这些视频为何能引起共鸣。随后转向医生的看法：血液科医生普罗文认为仅凭面部判断铁蛋白水平“不可能”，这些外貌迹象“主观且不可靠”，也可能来自其他健康问题；全科医生塞赛补充说，肤色较深的人颜色变化更难看出。最后说明验血不仅用于确诊，也用于寻找病因，并以“双刃剑”的评价收尾。阅读时可留意 but、however、so、still 如何把“流行说法—科学解释—个人经历—医生质疑—正确做法”串成一条线，以及 may、can、usually 等词如何表达说法的边界。

正文

A young woman on TikTok asks, “Do you have ferritin face?” She points to dark circles under her eyes, pale skin and weak hair, and blames them on low iron. Such videos are spreading fast on TikTok and Instagram, and some have attracted millions of views. But as BBC News reported on 26 October, doctors say a face alone cannot show whether someone is short of iron.

本段译文

TikTok 上一位年轻女子问道：“你有‘铁蛋白脸’吗？”她指着自己眼下的黑眼圈、苍白的皮肤和脆弱的头发，并把这些归咎于缺铁。这类视频正在 TikTok 和 Instagram 上迅速传播，有些已吸引数百万次观看。但据 BBC 新闻 10 月 26 日报道，医生表示，仅凭一张脸无法看出一个人是否缺铁。

Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in the body. Another protein, haemoglobin, carries oxygen in red blood cells. When haemoglobin falls, the blood cannot carry enough oxygen, and the person has anaemia. However, iron stores can run low before this happens. “You’ve got no stored iron but you’re maintaining your haemoglobin,” said Dr Drew Provan, a blood specialist. So a person can have symptoms without being anaemic. UK guidelines say ferritin below 30 micrograms per litre usually means low iron stores.

本段译文

铁蛋白是一种在体内储存铁的蛋白质。另一种蛋白质——血红蛋白——在红细胞中运输氧气。血红蛋白下降时，血液无法运送足够的氧气，人就会出现贫血。然而，储存铁可能在这之前就已经不足。“你已经没有储存铁了，但血红蛋白还维持着，”血液专科医生德鲁·普罗文说。因此，一个人可能没有贫血却已出现症状。英国的指南指出，铁蛋白低于每升 30 微克通常意味着储存铁偏低。

This is why some people find the videos helpful. Lucy, 32, who posts about hair loss online, developed a fast heartbeat, tiredness and hair loss in 2021. At first she was told her blood tests were normal. A later test showed her ferritin was only 12. She said she looked “grey” at that time, and the difference after she recovered was “night and day”.

本段译文

这就是为什么有些人觉得这些视频有帮助。32 岁的露西在网上发布关于脱发的内容，她在 2021 年出现了心跳加快、疲倦和脱发。起初她被告知验血结果正常。后来的一次检测显示，她的铁蛋白只有 12。她说自己当时看起来“灰暗”，恢复之后的差别“判若两人”。

Still, doctors warn against judging by looks. Provan said it was “impossible“ to tell someone’s ferritin level from their face. People with serious anaemia may look pale, and tiredness can lead to dark circles, but such signs are “subjective and unreliable” and can come from other health problems. Dr Aziza Sesay, a family doctor, added that changes in colour may be harder to see on darker skin, so someone who only checks the mirror could miss a real problem.

本段译文

不过，医生提醒不要以貌判断。普罗文说，从一个人的脸看出其铁蛋白水平是“不可能的”。严重贫血的人可能看起来苍白，疲倦也可能导致黑眼圈，但这类迹象“主观且不可靠”，也可能来自其他健康问题。全科医生阿齐扎·塞赛补充说，肤色较深的人，颜色变化可能更难看出，所以只照镜子的人可能会漏掉真正的问题。

Doctors say how a person feels matters more than how they look, and a blood test is needed. The test confirms the problem and helps find its cause, such as heavy periods, a diet low in iron or trouble taking in iron through the gut. Taking iron pills without a diagnosis can be harmful and may delay the search for that cause.

本段译文

医生说，一个人的感受比外表更重要，而且需要验血。检测能确认问题，并帮助找出原因，例如月经量大、饮食中铁含量低，或肠道吸收铁有困难。未经诊断就服用铁剂可能有害，还可能耽误寻找病因。

Sesay called social media “a double-edged sword“. It can push people to seek help, but it can also lead them to diagnose themselves wrongly from a short video. Lucy, who says she is not a doctor, agrees that the useful part is knowing when something does not feel right, and then asking questions.

本段译文

塞赛称社交媒体是“一把双刃剑”。它可以促使人们寻求帮助，也可能让人凭一段短视频错误地自我诊断。露西表示自己不是医生，她也认为，有用之处在于察觉到身体不对劲时，去提出疑问。

新闻来源

• BBC News · Is ‘ferritin face’ a real thing - and can you really spot low iron from looks? (26 Oct 2026)

✳更多文章 →