Treatment of iron deficiency anemia induces weight loss and improves metabolic parameters

The treatment of iron deficiency anemia is oral iron replacement which has side effects mostly related with gastrointestinal system. A significant rate of the patients that discontinuing the treatment complained of weight gain during treatment in our clinical practise, despite, oral iron preparations are not known to have such a side effect in adults. Therefore, we planned to investigate this myth whether iron preparations cause an increase in weight, waist circumference, body mass index and laboratory metabolic parameters that may accompany to weight gain.

Twenty-one women admitted to our out-patient clinics with iron deficiency anemia were enrolled to the study. Waist circumference, body weight, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, hemogram and other laboratory parameters assessed and recorded at the first visit and repeated 4 to 6 moths after initiation of treatment.

Waist circumference, body weight and BMI significantly reduced in patients after treatment compared to pre-treatment period. Moreover, HDL was increased and triglyceride was decreased significantly in after treatment compared to pre-treatment period.

We suggest that treatment of iron deficiency may improve not only haematological but also metabolic and anthropometric parameters. Due to the small study population of our cohort, larger prospective studies are needed to confirm our results.