HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Liu, J.-M. Articles by Ma, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Liu, J.-M. Articles by Ma, J. Agricola Articles by Liu, J.-M. Articles by Ma, J.

Body iron stores and their determinants in healthy postmenopausal US women^1,2,3

¹ From the Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston (J-ML, SEH, MJS, WCW, and JM); the National Center for Maternal and Infant Health and Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing (J-ML); the Departments of Nutrition (MJS and WCW) and Epidemiology (SEH, MJS, and WCW), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston; and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston (NR).

Background: Data on the determinants of body iron stores in middle-aged women are sparse.

Objective: We prospectively evaluated nondietary and dietary determinants of iron stores.

Design: Using blood samples collected in 1989–1990, we measured plasma ferritin concentrations in 620 healthy postmenopausal women aged 44–69 y who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study. Food-frequency questionnaires completed in 1980, 1984, and 1986 were used to calculate average dietary intakes. Generalized linear regression and multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the association between plasma ferritin and its determinants.

Results: Among these postmenopausal women, the median plasma ferritin concentration was 73.8 ng/mL (interquartile range: 41.6–125.8 ng/mL), 2.7% were iron depleted (ferritin concentration < 12 ng/mL), and 9.8% had an elevated ferritin concentration (> 200 ng/mL). Age, time since menopause, time since the last postmenopausal hormone (PMH) use, body mass index, iron supplement use, and alcohol and heme-iron intakes were positively associated with ferritin concentrations, whereas PMH use, physical activity, aspirin use, and gastrointestinal ulcer were inversely related. The association between heme-iron intake and ferritin was most apparent among the women who consumed > 30 g alcohol/d.

Conclusions: Our prospective data confirm that in postmenopausal women, intakes of heme iron, supplemental iron, and alcohol are dietary determinants of plasma ferritin, and age, PMH use, body mass index, physical activity, aspirin use, and gastrointestinal ulcer are nondietary determinants.

Key Words: Iron • ferritin • alcohol • postmenopausal women • Nurses’ Health Study

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J.-Y. Choi, M. L. Neuhouser, M. J. Barnett, C.-C. Hong, A. R. Kristal, M. D. Thornquist, I. B. King, G. E. Goodman, and C. B. Ambrosone Iron intake, oxidative stress-related genes (MnSOD and MPO) and prostate cancer risk in CARET cohort Carcinogenesis, May 1, 2008; 29(5): 964 - 970. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C.-C. Hong, C. B. Ambrosone, J. Ahn, J.-Y. Choi, M. L. McCullough, V. L. Stevens, C. Rodriguez, M. J. Thun, and E. E. Calle Genetic Variability in Iron-Related Oxidative Stress Pathways (Nrf2, NQ01, NOS3, and HO-1), Iron Intake, and Risk of Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., September 1, 2007; 16(9): 1784 - 1794. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. L Sullivan The Big Idea: the coxib crisis Iron, aspirin and heart disease risk revisited J R Soc Med, July 1, 2007; 100(7): 346 - 349. [Full Text] [PDF]

				C.-J. Tsai, M. F Leitzmann, W. C Willett, and E. L Giovannucci Heme and non-heme iron consumption and risk of gallstone disease in men Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, February 1, 2007; 85(2): 518 - 522. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. M. Hodgson, N. C. Ward, V. Burke, L. J. Beilin, and I. B. Puddey Increased Lean Red Meat Intake Does Not Elevate Markers of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Humans J. Nutr., February 1, 2007; 137(2): 363 - 367. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Qi, R. M. van Dam, K. Rexrode, and F. B. Hu Heme Iron From Diet as a Risk Factor for Coronary Heart Disease in Women With Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes Care, January 1, 2007; 30(1): 101 - 106. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. E. Chavarro, J. W. Rich-Edwards, B. A. Rosner, and W. C. Willett Iron Intake and Risk of Ovulatory Infertility. Obstet. Gynecol., November 1, 2006; 108(5): 1145 - 1152. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Rajpathak, J. Ma, J. Manson, W. C. Willett, and F. B. Hu Iron Intake and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women: A prospective cohort study. Diabetes Care, June 1, 2006; 29(6): 1370 - 1376. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Qi, J. Meigs, J. E. Manson, J. Ma, D. Hunter, N. Rifai, and F. B. Hu HFE Genetic Variability, Body Iron Stores, and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in U.S. Women Diabetes, December 1, 2005; 54(12): 3567 - 3572. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. M. Blanck, M. E Cogswell, C. Gillespie, and M. Reyes Iron supplement use and iron status among US adults: results from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, November 1, 2005; 82(5): 1024 - 1031. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]