Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of women stratified by age.
| Characteristics | <45 Y (n = 65) | ≥45 Y (n = 52) | p Value * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (y) | 32.85 ± 7.30 | 55.73 ± 6.30 | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.27 ± 6.49 | 23.60 ± 3.97 | 0.040 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 79.57 ± 15.09 | 80.63 ± 9.3 | 0.017 |
| Overweight and obese (n, %) | 17 (26.2%) | 21 (40.4%) | 0.102 |
| Central obesity (n, %) | 19 (29.7%) | 30 (58.7%) | 0.002 |
| Diabetes mellitus (n, %) | 2 (3.1%) | 5 (9.6%) | 0.318 |
| Dyslipidemia (n, %) | 18 (28.1%) | 24 (49.0%) | 0.023 |
| MetS (n, %) | 8 (12.7%) | 17 (34.7%) | 0.006 |
| NAFLD stage (n, %) | 0.006 | ||
| Control | 14 (21.5%) | 5 (9.6%) | |
| Mild | 41 (63.1%) | 26 (50.0%) | |
| Moderate/severe | 10 (15.4%) | 21 (40.4%) | |
| Self-reported post-menopause | 0 (0%) | 33 (63.5%) | <0.001 |
| Anemia (n, %) | 9 (13.8%) | 6 (11.5%) | 0.778 |
| Iron deficiency (n, %) | 5 (7.7%) | 3 (5.7%) | 0.728 |
| Iron deficiency anemia (n, %) | 5 (7.7%) | 3 (5.7%) | 0.728 |
| Iron overload (n, %) | 6 (9.2%) | 5 (9.6%) | 0.883 |
| Inflammation markers | |||
| AST (U/L) | 21.94 ± 9.69 | 28.39 ± 13.47 | <0.001 |
| ALT (U/L) | 22.52 ± 18.21 | 32.14 ± 25.42 | <0.001 |
| Body compositions | |||
| Body fat mass (%) | 29.02 ± 6.37 | 32.31 ± 5.07 | 0.001 |
| Skeletal muscle mass (%) | 65.27 ± 6.30 | 62.00 ± 5.02 | 0.001 |
| Visceral fat (%) | 3.22 ± 1.43 | 3.97 ± 1.25 | <0.001 |
| Subcutaneous fat (%) | 25.92 ± 5.02 | 28.34 ± 3.85 | 0.002 |
| Serum iron biomarkers | |||
| Iron (µg/dL) | 99.66 ± 42.35 | 92.12 ± 35.19 | <0.001 |
| TS (%) | 26.67 ± 12.65 | 25.91 ± 10.88 | 0.993 |
| Ferritin (ng/mL) | 54.30 ± 72.72 | 98.81 ± 83.97 | <0.001 |
| Iron:ferritin ratio | 4.41 ± 3.39 | 2.12 ± 2.59 | <0.001 |
| Hepcidin (ng/mL) | 79.90 ± 107.59 | 139.17 ± 121.39 | 0.027 |
| Hb (g/dL) | 14.03 ± 3.01 | 13.30 ± 2.13 | 0.402 |
| HbA1c (%) | 5.50 ± 0.66 | 6.16 ± 1.44 | <0.001 |
| Free Hb (µg/mL) | 133.34 ± 55.73 | 164.95 ± 56.03 | 0.016 |
| CML (µg/mL) | 258.14 ± 149.01 | 246.81 ± 145.19 | 0.720 |
Continuous data are presented as mean ± standard deviation; categorical data are presented as numbers (percentages). * p value was analyzed using the Mann–Whitney test for continuous variables and chi-squared test for categorical variables. Abbreviations: BMI = Body mass index, MetS = metabolic syndrome, AST = aspartate aminotransferase, ALT = alanine aminotransferase, Hb = hemoglobin, Free Hb = free hemoglobin, CML = Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine.