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Obesity in pregnancy increases hepcidin levels
Author(s) -
Dao Maria Carlota,
Sen Sarbattama,
Aviles Jessica,
Meydani Simin Nikbin
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.995.15
Subject(s) - hepcidin , medicine , pregnancy , obesity , endocrinology , inflammation , hormone , physiology , biology , genetics
Iron homeostasis is regulated through the action of hepcidin, a peptide hormone that controls cellular iron export. Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation which increases serum hepcidin, potentially having a negative impact on iron status in obese people. A recent study found low hepcidin levels in pregnant women, concluding that maternal hepcidin expression is kept at a minimum to maximize iron transfer to the fetus during pregnancy. We sought to determine how obesity during pregnancy affects serum hepcidin levels. We measured serum hepcidin levels in 6 lean (BMI = 23.2 ± 1.1 kg/m 2 ) and 9 obese (BMI= 38.9 ± 6.6 kg/m 2 ) pregnant women and found significantly higher hepcidin levels in the obese pregnant women (8.9 ± 3.8 vs. 3.2 ± 2.5 ng/ml in obese and lean, respectively; P=0.007, Student's t test), which correlated with BMI (r=0.6; P=0.02). Our results suggest that obesity during pregnancy alters hepcidin levels. Upcoming analysis will include iron status in the mothers, as well as hepcidin and iron parameters in cord blood. Future studies will be crucial to determine whether obesity‐related inflammation affects placental iron transfer during pregnancy. Supported by USDA (58‐1950‐7‐707).