Dietary iron intake and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in middle-aged and older adults in urban China: A Prospective Cohort Study

2020 
The association between dietary iron intake and diabetes risk remains inconsistent. We aimed to explore the association of dietary iron intake and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk in middle-aged and older adults in urban China. This study used data from the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study (GNHS), an on-going community-based prospective cohort study. Participants were recruited from 2008 to 2013 in Guangzhou community. 2,696 participants aged 40-75 years without T2DM at baseline were included in data analyses, with a median of 5.6 (IQR: 4.1-5.9) years of follow-up. T2DM was identified by self-reported diagnosis, fasting glucose ≥7.0 mmol/L, or glycosylated hemoglobin ≥6.5%. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate HRs and 95%CIs. We ascertained 205 incident T2DM cases during 13,476 person-years. The adjusted HR for T2DM risk in the fourth quartile of heme iron intake was 1.92 (95%CI: 1.07, 3.46; P-trend=0.010), compared with the first quartile intake. These significant associations were found in heme iron intake from total meat (HR:2.74; 95%CI: 1.22, 6.15; P-trend=0.011) and heme iron intake from red meat (HR:1.86; 95%CI: 1.01, 3.44; P-trend=0.034), but not heme iron intake from processed meat, poultry or fish/shellfish. The association between dietary intake of total iron or nonheme iron with T2DM risk had no significance. Our findings suggested that higher dietary intake of heme iron (especially from red meat), but not total iron or nonheme iron, was associated with greater T2DM risk in middle-aged and older adults.
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