Navigation
Iron deficiency is related to depressive symptoms in United States nonpregnant women of reproductive age: A cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 2005-2010
Previous studies examining the relationship between iron levels and depressive symptoms in nonpregnant women of reproductive age (WRA) have shown inconsistent results, often due to small sample sizes or lack of proper adjustment for influencing factors. This study by Ciulei et al. (2023) aimed to explore that relationship using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2005 -2010, n = 3916). Researchers analyzed data from non-pregnant women aged 20–44 who had complete measurements for iron indicators (ferritin and transferrin receptor), hemoglobin, depressive symptoms (as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and sociodemographic factors. Among participants, iron deficiency (ID) rates ranged from 8% to 16%, anemia affected 8%, and more than half of those with anemia also had ID. Depressive symptoms were present in 10% of the women. Further analysis revealed that women with ID had substantially higher odds of experiencing depressive symptoms compared to those with adequate iron levels. However, these links weakened after adjusting for confounding factors. Even so, adjusted models still found that women with ID, particularly those with low income, had slightly higher levels of depressive symptoms. Overall, the findings suggest that iron deficiency—especially when marked by elevated transferrin receptor levels—is linked to greater somatic depressive symptoms in nonpregnant women of reproductive age, with a stronger association among low-income women. [NPID: Iron deficiency, depressive symptoms, US, nonpregnant females of reproductive age, NHANES]
Year: 2023
