Iron Homeostasis and Diabetes Risk

Abstract

Iron binds to protein in the form of heme and functions as co-factor of enzymes that mediate redox reactions for energy production and intermediate of metabolism. Individual iron status is reflected as the combination of nutritional and pathological diseases. Iron overload (IO) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are the risk factor for diabetes. The association of iron and diabetes was investigated in -thalassemia patients, in high dietary iron levels, and in iron deficiency anemia were also associated with diabetes risk. IO and IDA play the major role of oxidative stress and inflammation, mediated insulin resistance and -cell dysfunction to causal diabetes. The underlying mechanisms mediated of these effects still waiting for searching.