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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #142711
Title: DIETARY FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH RISK OF HIGH IRON STORES IN THE ELDERLY FRAMINGHAM HEART STUDY COHORT

Author
item FLEMING, DIANA - TUFTS-HNRCA
item TUCKER, KATHERINE - TUFTS-HNRCA
item JACQUES, PAUL - TUFTS-HNRCA
item DALLAL, GERARD - TUFTS-HNRCA
item WILSON, PETER - BOSTON UNIVERSITY
item WOOD, RICHARD - TUFTS-HNRCA

Submitted to: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/24/2002
Publication Date: 12/1/2002
Citation: Fleming, D.J., Tucker, K.L., Jacques, P.F., Dallal, G.E., Wilson, P.W., Wood, R.J. 2002. Dietary factors associated with risk of high iron stores in the elderly framingham heart study cohort. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 76(6):1375-84.

Interpretive Summary: Some studies have linked high body iron stores with risk of several chronic diseases. However, it is not known whether dietary factors contribute to risk of high iron stores. Our objective was to assess the relation between dietary factors and risk of high iron stores in an elderly population-based cohort participating in the Framingham Heart Study. We examined the relation between usual intake of dietary factors previously shown to enhance or inhibit iron absorption and risk of high iron stores, defined as a serum ferritin (SF) >300 micro-g/L in men and >200 in women, in 614 subjects, aged 68-93 years. We excluded subjects with possible pathologically altered iron stores. Diet was assessed by food frequency questionnaire. Risk of high iron stores was significantly greater in those using >/=30 mg/day of supplemental iron/vitamin C/vitamin C, those subjects consuming >21 servings/wk of fruit, and those consuming >4-<7 and >/=7 servings/wk of red meat respectively, vs 7 servings/wk) was inversely associated with risk. Among older persons, intakes of highly bioavailable forms of iron (supplemental iron/vitamin C, red meat), and fruit, a dietary source of vitamin C, a potent enhancer of nonheme iron absorption, appear to promote the development of high body iron stores, while foods containing phytate (whole grains) appear to decrease it. These findings are important because they suggest that individual dietary patterns may be important modulators of high iron stores, a possible risk factor for chronic disease.

Technical Abstract: High body iron stores may increase the risk of several chronic diseases. Whether dietary factors contribute to the risk of high iron stores is unknown. We assessed the relation between dietary factors and the risk of high iron stores in the elderly Framingham Heart Study cohort. We examined the relation between the usual intake of dietary factors (food-frequency questionnaire) and the risk of high iron stores (serum ferritin >300 and 200 micro g/L in men and women, respectively) in 614 subjects aged 68-93 y. The risk of high iron stores was significantly higher 1) in subjects who took > or =30 mg supplemental Fe/d than in nonusers [odds ratio (OR): 4.32; 95% CI: 1.63, 11.47], 2) in subjects who consumed >21 servings of fruit/wk than in those who consumed < or =14 servings/wk (OR: 2.88; 95% CI: 1.26, 6.61), and 3) in subjects who consumed >4 but <7 or > or=7 servings of red meat/wk than in those who consumed < or =4 servings/wk (ORs: 2.94 and 3.61, respectively; 95% CIs: 1.33, 6.47 and 1.57, 8.27, respectively). Whole-grain intake (>7 servings/wk) was inversely associated (OR: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.75). Among elders, intakes of highly bioavailable forms of iron (supplemental iron and red meat) and of fruit, a dietary source of an enhancer of nonheme-iron absorption (vitamin C), promote high iron stores, whereas foods containing phytate (whole grains) decrease these stores. Individual dietary patterns may be important modulators of high iron stores.