Study Reveals Iron Levels Up to Three Times Higher in Postmenopausal Women
Sep 5
Men and women face varying risks of developing chronic diseases. For example, cardiovascular diseases are more prevalent in younger men, while after the age of 40-50, the period through which women undergo menopause, cardiovascular disease becomes more prominent among women. Initially, it was hypothesized that the decline of estrogen during menopause was the primary driver behind these sex and menopause-related disparities in heart disease and other chronic illnesses. However, recent evidence suggests that this isn’t the sole contributing factor and alternative elements like iron could play a significant role. Iron has been associated with the development of conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.
In a collaborative effort involving the University of Groningen, Bern, Lausanne, and Epistudia, an investigation was conducted to discern how different iron biomarkers exhibit variations based on sex and menopausal status. This study involved over 5000 men and women participating in an ongoing cohort study in the Netherlands. This study marks the most comprehensive study in which several iron biomarkers were analyzed to understand their patterns between men and women, as well as between premenopausal and postmenopausal women. In this study, it was found that iron biomarkers demonstrated a consistent rise in women over the course of their lives, and in certain instances, these levels even surpassed those in men, particularly among older age groups. Additionally, iron biomarkers such as ferritin, hepcidin, and transferrin saturation were up to three times higher in postmenopausal women when compared to their premenopausal counterparts.
Our findings pertaining to the differential accumulation of iron in various age groups for both men and women and within different menopausal stages in women, point towards the necessity of establishing sex and menopause-specific cut-offs for iron biomarkers when diagnosing iron deficiencies or excesses. Furthermore, our findings serve as an impetus for future investigations to explore whether iron levels over the lifespan in both men and women could partially elucidate the sex and menopause-related disparities in chronic diseases.
This study was supported by a grant provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation, and the article can be accessed at https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/16/5338.
In a collaborative effort involving the University of Groningen, Bern, Lausanne, and Epistudia, an investigation was conducted to discern how different iron biomarkers exhibit variations based on sex and menopausal status. This study involved over 5000 men and women participating in an ongoing cohort study in the Netherlands. This study marks the most comprehensive study in which several iron biomarkers were analyzed to understand their patterns between men and women, as well as between premenopausal and postmenopausal women. In this study, it was found that iron biomarkers demonstrated a consistent rise in women over the course of their lives, and in certain instances, these levels even surpassed those in men, particularly among older age groups. Additionally, iron biomarkers such as ferritin, hepcidin, and transferrin saturation were up to three times higher in postmenopausal women when compared to their premenopausal counterparts.
Our findings pertaining to the differential accumulation of iron in various age groups for both men and women and within different menopausal stages in women, point towards the necessity of establishing sex and menopause-specific cut-offs for iron biomarkers when diagnosing iron deficiencies or excesses. Furthermore, our findings serve as an impetus for future investigations to explore whether iron levels over the lifespan in both men and women could partially elucidate the sex and menopause-related disparities in chronic diseases.
This study was supported by a grant provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation, and the article can be accessed at https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/16/5338.
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