Lifestyle and dietary factors, iron status and one-carbon metabolism polymorphisms in a sample of Italian women and men attending a Transfusion Medicine Unit : a cross-sectional study

Iron (Fe) status among healthy male and female blood donors, aged 18-65 years, is estimated. General characteristics and lifestyle factors, dietary habits and major one-carbon metabolism-related polymorphisms were also investigated. An explorative cross-sectional study design was used to examine a sample of blood donors attending the Transfusion Medicine Unit of the Verona University Hospital, Italy. From April 2016 to May 2018, 499 subjects were enrolled (255 men, 244 women, 155 of whom of childbearing age). Major clinical characteristics including lifestyle, dietary habits and Fe status were analysed. The MTHFR 677C > T, cSHMT 1420C > T, DHFR 19bp ins/del and RFC1 80G > A polymorphisms were also assayed. Mean plasma concentrations of Fe and ferritin were 16 center dot 6 mu mol/l (95 % CI 16 center dot 0, 17 center dot 2) and 33 center dot 8 mu g/l (95 % CI 31 center dot 5, 36 center dot 2), respectively. Adequate plasma Fe concentrations (> 10 center dot 74 mu mol/l) were detected in 84 center dot 3 % and adequate ferritin concentrations (20-200 mu g/l) was found in 72 center dot 5 % of the whole cohort. Among the folate-related polymorphisms analysed, carriers of the DHFR 19bp del/del mutant allele showed lower ferritin concentration when compared with DHFR 19bp ins/del genotypes. In a sample of Italian healthy blood donors, adequate plasma concentrations of Fe and ferritin were reached in a large proportion of subjects. The relationship of Fe status with lifestyle factors and folate-related polymorphisms requires more investigation to clarify further gene-nutrient interactions between folate and Fe metabolism.