title: Iron, hepcidin and inflammatory status of young healthy overweight and obese women in Australia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evidence suggests obesity-related inflammation alters iron metabolism potentially increasing the risk of iron deficiency. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate iron, hepcidin and inflammatory status in young, healthy overweight and obese women.
  
  
  METHODS
  114 young (18-25 years), healthy comorbidity-free women with a body mass index (BMI) ≥27.5 kg/m(2) were recruited. Biochemical data were analysed using mean ± standard deviation or median (interquartile range) and multivariate modelling. Biochemical markers were also stratified according to varying degrees of overweight and obesity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anaemia (haemoglobin <120 g/l) and iron deficiency (serum ferritin <15.0 µg/l) were prevalent in 10% and 17% of participants respectively. Mean/median soluble transferrin receptor was 1.61±0.44 mg/l; hepcidin 6.40 (7.85) ng/ml and C-reactive protein (CRP) 3.58 (5.81) mg/l. Multivariate modelling showed that BMI was a significant predictor of serum iron (coefficient = -0.379; standard error = 0.139; p = 0.008), transferrin saturation (coefficient = -0.588; standard error = 0.222; p = 0.009) and CRP (coefficient = 0.127; standard error = 0.024; p<0.001). Stratification of participants according to BMI showed those with ≥35.0 kg/m(2) had significantly higher CRP (p<0.001) than those in lower BMI categories.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increasing obesity was associated with minor disturbances in iron metabolism. However, overall outcomes indicated simple iron deficiency (hypoferritinaemia) was the primary iron-related abnormality with no apparent contribution of inflammation or hepcidin, even in those with BMI >35.0 kg/m(2). This indicates that obesity alone may not be sufficient to induce clinically significant disturbances to iron metabolism as previously described. This may be attributed to the lack of comorbidity in this cohort.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. hche3056@uni.sydney.edu.au
authors.forename: Hoi Lun
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Christian E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.forename: Kieron B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Rooney
authors.forename: Katharine S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Steinbeck
authors.forename: Hayley J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Petocz
authors.forename: Helen T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: O'Connor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D001315:Australia; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000378:metabolism; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D064451:Hepcidins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D050177:Overweight / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D064451:Hepcidins; D014168:Transferrin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron