Gender Difference in the Relationship Between Ferritin and Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance in Non-Diabetic Korean Adults

The study with 5,414 non-diabetic Korean adults, including 2,279 men, 1,529 premenopausal women, and 1,606 postmenopausal women, found that serum ferritin levels were positively associated with insulin resistance in men and postmenopausal women but not in premenopausal women. This suggests that gender and menopausal status influence the relationship between ferritin levels and insulin resistance. The study proposes that estrogen may contribute to this difference, as postmenopausal women have lower estrogen levels, which could affect serum ferritin and insulin resistance. Despite its findings, the study acknowledges limitations such as its cross-sectional design and calls for further research to establish causality and include additional variables like hepcidin and C-reactive protein.