Association between serum ferritin, cardiorespiratory fitness and risk of type 2 diabetes: Aerobics Center longitudinal study

Recent studies suggest that an elevated serum ferritin concentration is considered an independent factor associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is inversely associated with diabetes. The cross-sectional study investigates 6,230 participants' data from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, The Cooper Institute (Dallas, Texas). The authors explored whether CRF level is associated inversely with lower serum ferritin concentration and is associated with a lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Participants with high ferritin levels and high triglyceride were 1.89 and 1.57 times, respectively, more likely to have diabetes. Overweight or obese individuals were 1.35 to 1.40 times more likely to have diabetes. Participants with a family history of type 2 diabetes were 3.96 times more likely to have diabetes. Lower serum ferritin concentration was associated with lower risk of diabetes in those participating in cardiorespiratory fitness. It suggests that physicians may use patients' ferritin concentrations as a marker for predicting their risk for new-onset diabetes, and patients should be encouraged to participate in cardiorespiratory fitness or physical activities.