Postmenopausal Vegetarians' Low Serum Ferritin Level May Reduce the Risk for Metabolic Syndrome.

The present study was conducted to compare the serum ferritin status between the postmenopausal vegetarians and non-vegetarians and to identify the relation of serum ferritin with metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors in postmenopausal women. The two study groups consisted of postmenopausal vegetarians ( n = 59) who maintained a vegetarian diet for over 20 years and age-matched non-vegetarian controls ( n = 48). Anthropometric measurements, dietary intakes, serum metabolic syndrome-related parameters, and serum ferritin level between the two groups were compared. The vegetarians exhibited significantly lower weight ( p < 0.01), body mass index (BMI) ( p < 0.001), percentage of body fat ( p < 0.001), waist circumference ( p < 0.01), SBP ( p < 0.001), DBP ( p < 0.001), and fasting glucose ( p < 0.05). According to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)-Adult Treatment Panel III criteria for MetS applying Korean guidelines for waist circumference, the prevalence of MetS was lower in vegetarians (33.9 %) than in non-vegetarians (47.9 %). Vegetarians had significantly lower serum level of ferritin ( p < 0.01) than non-vegetarians. In the correlation analysis, serum ferritin was positively related to fasting glucose ( r = 0.264, p < 0.01), triglycerides ( r = 0.232, p < 0.05), and the NCEP score ( r = 0.214, p < 0.05) and negatively related to high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ( r = −0.225, p < 0.05) after adjusting for BMI, lifestyle, and dietary factors (animal protein, animal fat, and dietary fiber intake). In conclusion, postmenopausal vegetarians had lower MetS presence and a lower serum ferritin level compared to non-vegetarians. Furthermore, vegetarians' low serum ferritin level may reduce the risk of MetS in postmenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]