Zeitschrift für metabolisches Syndrom

Association between Serum Ferritin Levels and Risk Factors of Obesity among Mongolian Men

Abstract

Zorigtbaatar Bolortsetseg1*, M. Lutzul2, G. Munkhtuul1, N. Sugar3, D. Nyamdorj1, Namjil Erdenebayar4, Ts. Lkhagvasuren1, S. Munkhbayarlah1 and Sh. Uurtuya1

Objective: Serum ferritin is a sensitive and key indicator of iron accumulation, and serum ferritin levels can be elevated due to risk factors for many diseases. Obesity is a manifestation of metabolic dysfunction, and our study purpose was to assess the relationship between body adiposity indexes and serum ferritin level and estimate risk.

Materials and methods: A total of 227 Mongolian men between the ages of 30 and 60 participated (45.5 ± 8.4 years) in the study and were classified as normal ferritin, hyperferritinemia, and iron overload based on serum ferritin levels.

Results: Anthropometric measurements that indicate obesity and indexes that indicate visceral adiposity, lipid accumulation, and insulin resistance increased significantly in the groups with an increased ferritin level (p<0.05). A positive correlation was observed between serum ferritin and the Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI), Lipid Accumulation Product (LAP), Triglyceride-Glucose Index (TyG) indexes, and logistic regression analysis showed that increased serum ferritin was significantly associated with increased VAI, LAP and TyG. Even after adjusting for possible cofounders, TyG remained a significant risk factor for elevated serum ferritin.

Conclusion: Our study results concluded that body fat is one of the risk factor to increase the serum ferritin level and alters iron metabolism for Mongolian men. Body adiposity indexes, which are formulas for anthropometric measurements and functional parameters, are indicators of the prevention of increased iron accumulation in serum, so it is necessary to study them in conjunction with other factors in the future.