RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Serum Ferritin and Risk of the Metabolic Syndrome in U.S. Adults
JF Diabetes Care
JO Diabetes Care
FD American Diabetes Association
SP 2422
OP 2428
DO 10.2337/diacare.27.10.2422
VO 27
IS 10
A1 Jehn, Megan
A1 Clark, Jeanne M.
A1 Guallar, Eliseo
YR 2004
UL http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/10/2422.abstract
AB OBJECTIVE—We examined the relationship among iron stores, the metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We conducted a cross-sectional study of 6,044 adults >20 years of age who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Metabolic syndrome was defined as the presence of at least three of the following: elevated blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol, elevated serum triglycerides, elevated plasma glucose, and abdominal obesity. Insulin resistance was estimated using homeostasis model assessment (for insulin resistance), fasting insulin, and triglyceride–to–HDL cholesterol ratio. RESULTS—After excluding individuals with likely hemochromatosis, mean serum ferritin values in premenopausal women, postmenopausal women, and men were 33.6, 93.4, and 139.9 μg/l, respectively. Metabolic syndrome was more common in those with the highest compared with the lowest levels of serum ferritin in premenopausal women (14.9 vs. 6.4%, P = 0.002), postmenopausal women (47.5 vs. 28.2%, P < 0.001), and men (27.3 vs. 13.8%, P < 0.001). Insulin resistance also increased across quartiles of serum ferritin for men and postmenopausal women and persisted after adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, C-reactive protein, smoking, alcohol intake, and BMI. CONCLUSIONS—Elevated iron stores were positively associated with the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and with insulin resistance.