The Gender-specific Association Between Serum Ferritin Levels and Insulin Resistance Markers in Bangladeshi Adults
Serum Ferritin Levels and Insulin Resistance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3329/bmrcb.v50i1.69712Keywords:
Gender Differences, IR Markers, Serum Ferritin, adult populationAbstract
Background: Recent research focused on iron stores' impact on diabetes, highlighting ferritin as a key biomarker. Studies revealed elevated ferritin, indicating increased iron stores linked with insulin resistance (IR). However, the connection between ferritin and IR exhibits variability based on ethnicity, gender, and glycemic state, leading to inconclusive findings. So, there is a notable gap in existing data regarding the relationship between ferritin and IR among South Asian men and women, especially in Bangladesh. To our knowledge, This is the first time we are evaluating the relationship between body iron stores and insulin resistance markers in our population.
Objectives: The aim was to examine the relationship between IR markers (fasting insulin, glucose, and HOMA-IR) and serum ferritin concentrations in Bangladeshi adults.
Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at Sir Salimullah Medical College, Dhaka (March 2018 - February 2019). It involved 140 subjects aged 25-55. Among them, 92 were male and 48 were female. Multiple regression analysis was performed after determining ferritin levels, insulin levels, and fasting plasma glucose levels and calculating the homeostatic model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR in both genders after adjustment. Exclusion criteria were applied to eliminate individuals with inflammatory diseases, chronic conditions, major cardiovascular events, alcoholism, anaemia, or specific medications that could affect ferritin levels.
Results: Females had lower mean ferritin (p < 0.001) than males. After adjustment for covariates in men-fasting glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR were significantly increased with increasing serum ferritin levels (P for trend < .001). The highest tertile is associated with older age, higher BMI, FPG, serum insulin, and HOMA-IR in men. In females, serum ferritin correlated positively only with FPG, not other markers.
Conclusion: In Bangladeshi adult men, serum ferritin concentrations were positively associated with fasting glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR, indicating an essential role of iron storage in the pathogenesis of IR, while this association was not observed in women.
Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2024; 50: 32-39
Downloads
67
69
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Most Tasnim Ara Jhilky ; Mohammad Mohsin M ia, Ehsanul Haque Khan, Manindra Nath Roy, Shamima Parvin, Afsana Shahid Priyanka
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication.
Articles in the Bangladesh Medical Research Council Bulletin are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
