Table 1.
Participant demographics and baseline venous blood analyses
| Variable (Normal Range) | Saline Group (n = 11) | Iron Group (n = 11) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yr | 26.3 ± 8.6 | 33.5 ± 9.9 | 0.09 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 24.3 ± 1.6 | 24.9 ± 2.1 | 0.51 |
| Sex | Female, n = 4; male, n = 7 | Female, n = 4; male, n = 7 | |
| Hemoglobin (12.0–17.0), g/dl | 13.9 ± 1.3 | 14.0 ± 0.9 | 0.81 |
| Hematocrit (0.36–0.50) | 0.42 ± 0.04 | 0.42 ± 0.03 | 0.77 |
| Mean cell volume (83–105), fl | 93.3 ± 3.8 | 90.8 ± 5.0 | 0.20 |
| Erythropoietin, IU/l | 8.1 ± 3.4 | 9.3 ± 3.0 | 0.38 |
| Serum ferritin (10–300), μg/l | 66 ± 40 | 55 ± 37 | 0.52 |
| Serum transferrin (1.8–3.6), g/l | 2.6 ± 0.4 | 2.7 ± 0.3 | 0.44 |
| Serum transferrin saturation (16–50), % | 31.3 ± 11.3 | 29.3 ± 12.7 | 0.70 |
| Hepcidin, μg/l | 51.5 ± 57.9 | 40.2 ± 34.2 | 0.58 |
| sTfR, nmol/l | 20.6 ± 5.9 | 21.5 ± 6.1 | 0.73 |
| Interleukin-6, fg/l | 0.56 ± 0.41 | 0.56 ± 0.4 | 0.97 |
| C-reactive protein (0–8), mg/l | 0.8 ± 0.6 | 2.5 ± 3.2 | 0.30 |
Values are means ± SD. An unpaired two-tailed Student's t-test was used to calculate the P value. BMI, body mass index; sTfR, soluble transferrin receptor.