Background: The correlation between body iron stores and inflammation with insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes is not thoroughly investigated, especially in the Persian population.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed in Tehran, Iran. Fifty-four people with type 2 diabetes and 53 matched healthy participants were included. Serum ferritin, total iron binding capacity, insulin resistance, C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were measured in both groups.
Results: Diabetic patients had higher insulin resistance, hemoglobin A(1)C and serum ferritin. Significant positive correlations were observed between insulin resistance with serum ferritin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha and between serum ferritin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in diabetic patients.
Conclusions: Inter-relationship between insulin resistance, serum ferritin and TNF-alpha was found in type 2 diabetic patients. Serum iron even in the normal range had positive correlation with insulin resistance. It may be because the normal ranges determined for serum ferritin are too wide and the criteria for iron overload are too high.