Mechanism of Decreased Iron Absorption in Obesity: Controlling Adiposity-related Inflammation
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2018-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The main iron regulatory protein in the human metabolism is hepcidin. In normal weight,
healthy subjects, hepcidin is regulated through the iron status of the body: low iron status
results in low hepcidin concentrations, which facilitates dietary iron absorption. In
obesity, which is an inflammatory state, hepcidin concentrations are increased and iron
absorption is reduced despite low iron stores, leading to iron deficiency over time. Whether
lowering the chronic low-grade inflammation during a limited treatment period and thereby
lowering hepcidin concentration can improve iron absorption is uncertain.