Serum Ferritin Is Associated with Metabolic Syndrome and Red Meat Consumption

Abstract

Background and aims: Hyperferritinemia has been related with a wide spectrum of pathologies, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between hyperferritinemia and iron consumption.

Methods and results: Serum ferritin concentration was evaluated in 66 presumed healthy men, along with other clinical and biochemical markers of chronic diseases. A three-day food questionnaire was applied for nutrition information. Hyperferritinemia was a condition found in 13.4% of the volunteers analyzed. Significant correlations were found between serum ferritin concentration and metabolic syndrome parameters (HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting glucose) as well as an increase of the serum ferritin mean value with the number of risk factors of metabolic syndrome. Also, oxidative stress markers (carbonyl groups, AOPP, and glycated hemoglobin), hepatic damage markers (GGT, SGOT), and parameters related to insulin resistance (HOMA, blood insulin, and blood glucose) correlate significantly with serum ferritin. Volunteers had an excessive iron intake, principally by bread consumption. Analyses of food intake showed that red meat consumption correlates significantly with serum ferritin.

Conclusion: Red meat consumption, metabolic syndrome, and chronic disease markers are associated with hyperferritinemia in a population of Chilean men.

Figure 1

Serum ferritin (a) and TIBC (b) distribution in Maestranza Diesel workers (MD) and blood bank donors (BB); the number of individuals analyzed corresponds to N = 66 and N = 67, respectively. Dashed line indicates the cutoff between iron overload and normal iron levels, in terms of serum ferritin and total iron binding capacity, respectively.

Figure 2

Significant correlation between serum ferritin levels and risk factors associated with the diagnostic of metabolic syndrome: BMI (a), HDL cholesterol (b), triglycerides (c), and fasting glucose (d).

Figure 3

Variation of the mean value of serum ferritin concentration with the number of risk factors of metabolic syndrome according to ATPIII panel. ATP definition: waist circumference >102 cm (men); HDL cholesterol <40 mg/dL (men); triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL; blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg; and fasting plasma glucose ≥100 mg/dL. The mean value of serum ferritin increases significantly with the number of risk factors related to metabolic syndrome (P = 0.043, one-way ANOVA). Results are expressed as means ± standard error (n = 20, n = 31, and n = 15 for individuals without, with 1 or 2, and with 3 or more risk factors of metabolic syndrome, resp.).

Figure 4

Correlation between serum ferritin concentration and red meat consumption. Red meat comprised all kinds of red meat including processed red meat. The amount of red meat corresponds to the average intake of three consecutive days.