The Relationship between Serum Ferritin and Bone Mineral Density

Several risk factors for osteoporosis are known relatively well. Some nutrients are directly or indirectly needed for metabolic processes related to bone. Recently, an increased prevalence of osteoporosis has been reported in patients with hemochromatosis, an iron overload disease. Thus, the aim of this study was to find out if there was any relationship between serum ferritin and T-score of bone mineral density in healthy women. We recruited 1,101 subjects females aged between 39 and 85 years. We measured serum ferritin, glucose tolerance indices, lipid profiles, inflammatory indices, hormones, calcium, alkaline phosphatase. Also, anthropometric, blood pressure, and bone mineral density measurements were performed. T-score was negatively correlated with age (r=-0.425; P<0.01), systolic (r=-0.109; P<0.01) and diastolic (r=-0.093; P<0.01) pressure, follicular stimulation hormone (r=-0.190; P<0.01), alkaline phosphatase (r=-0.235; P<0.01), and serum ferritin (r=-0.090; P<0.05) and positively with body mass index (r=0.050; P=0.01), HDL-cholesterol (r=0.314; P<0.01), and estradiol (r=0.200; P<0.01). After adjustment for age, alkaline phosphatase, body mass index, HDL-cholesterol, estradiol, and follicular stimulation hormone, serum ferritin was independently inversely correlated with T-score (β=-0.001; P<0.05). It is possible that an increase of serum ferritin in females may be risk to osteoporosis.