AUTHOR=Zimiao Chen , Dongdong Luo , Shuoping Chen , Peng Zhou , Fan Zheng , Rujun Chen , Xiaohua Gong 

TITLE=Correlations Between Iron Status and Body Composition in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.911860

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2022.911860

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=Background: Our study aimed to investigate the association between iron metabolism and body composition in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).
Methods: A total of 824 patients with T2DM were enrolled. Measurements of body composition were obtained by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Patients were stratified into three groups according to their sex-specific ferritin levels. Basic information, laboratory results and body composition were collected. 
Results: Serum iron and transferrin saturation (TSAT) were increased significantly with elevated serum ferritin (all P< 0.05). Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) was decreased significantly with elevated serum ferritin (P< 0.05). Visceral fat mass (VF), android fat/total body fat mass, android-to-gynoid fat ratio (A/G ratio) and hs-CRP were all increased significantly with elevated serum ferritin (all P< 0.05). Patients with a high A/G ratio(A/G ratio ≧1) had significantly higher serum iron, ferritin and TSAT, but significantly lower TIBC. In the age, gender and covariates adjusted model, higher ferritin levels were associated with a higher VF (all P< 0.05). Serum iron was positively correlated with the occurrence of a high A/G ratio (A/G ratio ≧1)after the adjustment of confounding factors (an odds ratio (OR = 1.09, 95% CI, 1.02–1.19, P = 0.02)). With receiver operating curve analysis, the cutoff value of serum iron for a high A/G ratio was 18.56 and area under the curve was 0.77
1 (sensitivity 88.9%and specificity 63.9%, P =0.01).
Conclusion: Higher serum iron and ferritin concentrations were positively associated with a higher VF. Higher serum iron concentrations were positively correlated with a high A/G ratio. The results suggest that iron stores as well as iron-related metabolic pathways maybe contribute to the change in body composition of T2DM.