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The Impact of Varying Degrees of Iron Nutriture on Several Functional Consequences of Iron Deficiency in Rats¹

Nutrition Department, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802

The impact of varying severities of iron-deficiency anemia on fasting blood glucose, plasma triiodothyronine, heart norepinephrine concentrations and resting oxygen consumption were evaluated. Male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to one of six dietary groups (4, 6, 11, 16, 23 or 40 mg Fe/kg diet) for 6 wk. Hemoglobin, liver iron and transferrin saturation were significantly lower in the 4 and 6 mg Fe/kg diet groups relative to the other groups and were indicative of anemia, low tissue iron stores and impaired erythropoiesis. Fasting blood glucose and heart norepinephrine concentrations were significantly higher and lower, respectively, in the 4 and 6 mg Fe/kg diet groups than the three highest dietary Fe groups. Although fasting blood glucose was significantly inversely correlated (r = -0.89, P = 0.0001) with hemoglobin concentration, a significant quadratic relationship (R² = 0.70, P = 0.0001) existed between hemoglobin and heart norepinephrine concentration. Differences in plasma triiodothyronine concentrations and resting oxygen consumption were not significant among the groups. Thus, based on hemoglobin concentration as an index of the severity of iron deficiency, these findings demonstrate that certain physiological manifestations of iron deficiency occur at even moderate-to-mild degrees of anemia.

KEY WORDS: • iron deficiency • heart norepinephrine • fasting blood glucose • triiodothyronine • resting oxygen consumption • rats

¹ Supported in part by the Pennsylvania Affiliate of the American Heart Association and Public Health Service grant #DK39160.

² To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Manuscript received 4 June 1990. Revision accepted 29 October 1990.