Elevated ferritin levels amplify type 2 diabetes risk
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Adults with high levels of serum ferritin may be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with lower levels, whereas those with a greater soluble transferrin receptor-to-ferritin ratio may be less likely to develop the condition, according to findings published in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.
“Iron is one of the essential trace elements for the human body,” Jingfang Liu, of the department of endocrinology at the First Hospital of Lanzhou University in China, and colleagues wrote. “When iron is deficient or excessive, it causes dysfunction of the body. Excessive iron stores have been suggested to be associated with a high risk of type 2 diabetes by causing damage to the pancreatic beta cells and insulin resistance through increased oxidative stress.”
Liu and colleagues assessed the levels of iron metabolism indicators such as ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor-to-ferritin ratios for 6,516 adults with type 2 diabetes aged at least 42 years and 43,120 adults without diabetes aged at least 43 years. The researchers used data from 12 studies that evaluated the relationship between iron metabolism indicators and type 2 diabetes.
Participants were 43% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they had serum ferritin levels of at least 149.2 mg/mL (OR = 1.43; 95% CI, 1.29-1.59), which the researchers defined as a high concentration. Additionally, participants were 20% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they had what the researchers categorized as a median level of serum ferritin (OR = 1.2; 95% CI, 1.08-1.33).
Participants were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes if their soluble transferrin receptor-to-ferritin ratio was high (OR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.45-0.95) or at the median (OR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.51-0.99), as defined by the researchers, who noted that type 2 diabetes risk was unaffected by soluble transferrin receptors alone.
“The elevated level of serum ferritin is one of the risk factors for type 2 diabetes,” the researchers wrote. “The serum soluble transferrin receptor-to-ferritin ratio was inversely related to the risk of type 2 diabetes. Serum soluble transferrin receptors might not be associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes.” – by Phil Neuffer
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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