posted on 2025-05-08, 20:03authored byRebecca L. Cook, Nicholas J. O Dwyer, Helen T. O'Connor, Helen M. Parker, Cheyne E. Donges, Hoi Lun Cheng, Katharine S. Steinbeck, Eka P. Cox, Janet L. Franklin, Manohar L. Garg, Keiron B. Rooney
Women of reproductive age are at increased risk for iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA), with both implicated in decreased cognitive function (CF). Obesity may complicate this association via inflammatory-mediated ferritin elevation. This cross-sectional study examined the association between hematological iron status (iron replete (IR), ID or IDA) and CF in healthy, young (18-35 years) women of normal-weight (NW: BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m 2 ) or obese-weight (OB: BMI > 30 kg/m 2 ). Participants completed a validated, computer-based cognition assessment evaluating impulsivity, attention, information processing, memory and executive function; CF reported as z-scores (mean ± SD). Iron status and CF were compared between groups via ANOVA, with adjustment for potential confounders (BMI, physical activity, C-reactive protein) via ANCOVA. A total of 157 NW and 142 OB women (25.8 ± 5.1 years) participated. Prevalence of ID and IDA were 14% and 6% respectively, with no significant difference between NW and OB groups. Women with IDA scored significantly lower on attention (although within normal range; ±1 z-score), compared to ID (IDA: -0.75 ± 1.89; ID: 0.53 ± 1.37; p = 0.004) but not IR (0.03 ± 1.33, p = 0.21) groups; there were no significant differences between ID and IR groups (p = 0.34). Adjustment for confounders did not significantly alter these results. In conclusion, women with IDA showed significantly reduced attention compared to women with ID.
History
Journal title
Nutrients
Volume
9
Issue
11
Article number
1216
Publisher
MDPI AG
Language
en, English
College/Research Centre
Faculty of Health and Medicine
School
School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy
Rights statement
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).