Table 1.
Characteristics of participants based on serum ferritin levels.
| Variables | Serum ferritin levels (μg/L) | p | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | Lower side within reference range | Higher side within reference range | High | ||
| < 40 | 40–120 | 121–200 | > 200 | ||
| n = 36 | n = 101 | n = 39 | n = 33 | ||
| Age (y) | 72.4 ± 5.0 | 72.1 ± 5.4 | 72.4 ± 5.6 | 72.5 ± 5.2 | 0.970 |
| Gender | |||||
| Male | 19 (52.8) | 41 (40.6) | 19 (48.7) | 18 (54.5) | 0.404 |
| Female | 17 (47.2) | 60 (59.4) | 20 (51.3) | 15 (45.5) | |
| Diabetes medication | |||||
| Oral hypoglycemic drug | 26 (72.2) | 72 (71.3) | 23 (59.0) | 25 (75.8) | 0.402 |
| Insulin and Oral hypoglycemic drug | 10 (27.8) | 29 (28.7) | 16 (41.0) | 8 (24.2) | |
| Dietary intake | |||||
| Total energy intake (kcal/day) | 1660 ± 383 | 1547 ± 366 | 1657 ± 537 | 1536 ± 419 | 0.303 |
| Protein intake (% of energy) | 12.3 ± 2.3 | 12.8 ± 2.7 | 11.8 ± 2.2 | 12.0 ± 3.0 | 0.200 |
| Carbohydrate intake (% of energy) | 59.7 ± 7.9 | 60.6 ± 8.4 | 61.7 ± 8.2 | 61.8 ± 9.9 | 0.677 |
| Fat intake (% of energy) | 27.1 ± 6.8 | 26.7 ± 7.3 | 26.2 ± 7.5 | 26.5 ± 8.1 | 0.971 |
| Fe intake (mg/day) | 10.6 ± 5.3 | 10.1 ± 7.3 | 8.5 ± 5.3 | 9.2 ± 6.2 | 0.464 |
| < 10 mg/day | 20 (55.6) | 65 (64.4) | 28 (71.8) | 21 (63.6) | 0.541 |
| Physical activity levels | |||||
| Low | 6 (16.7) | 23 (22.8) | 9 (23.1) | 10 (30.3) | 0.394 |
| Moderate | 19 (52.8) | 40 (39.6) | 11 (28.2) | 12 (36.4) | |
| High | 11 (30.6) | 38 (37.6) | 19 (48.7) | 11 (33.3) | |
| Smoking | |||||
| Never smoked | 25 (69.4) | 72 (71.3) | 25 (64.1) | 26 (78.8) | 0.868 |
| Formerly smoked | 6 (16.7) | 19 (18.8) | 9 (23.1) | 5 (15.2) | |
| Currently smoking | 5 (13.9) | 10 (9.9) | 5 (12.8) | 2 (6.1) | |
| Alcohol consumption | |||||
| Never consumed | 29 (80.6) | 88 (87.1) | 31 (79.5) | 28 (84.8) | 0.639 |
| Formerly consumed | 3 (8.3) | 7 (6.9) | 5 (12.8) | 1 (3.0) | |
| Currently consuming | 4 (11.1) | 6 (5.9) | 3 (7.7) | 4 (12.1) | |
| Inflammatory marker: hsCRP (mg/L) | 3.0 ± 3.6 | 2.6 ± 3.9 | 2.7 ± 3.0 | 2.1 ± 3.2 | 0.670 |
| Anemia | |||||
| With | 18 (50.0) | 28 (27.7) | 8 (20.5) | 8 (24.2) | 0.025 |
| Without | 18 (50.0) | 73 (72.3) | 31 (79.5) | 25 (75.8) | |
The Chi-square test is used to examine association between two categorical variables. Data are number (n), percent (%). The means of four groups were compared using one-way ANOVA. Data are means ± SD. Significant difference (p < 0.05).
hsCRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; Hb, hemoglobin.
Anemia is defined as Hb < 12 g/dL for females and < 13 g/dL for males.