Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40886951›Full record

Trial reportThe Journal of nutrition2025

Maternal Adiposity and Inflammation: Risk Factors for Iron Deficiency in Pregnancy.

Sabrina P Demirdjian, Maria S Mulhern, Maeve A Kerr, Mark Ledwidge, Raghad M Alhomaid, Paul D Thompson, Mary T McCann

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The Journal of nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Sabrina P DemirdjianNutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
Maria S MulhernNutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
Maeve A KerrNutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
Mark LedwidgeSchool of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland.
Raghad M AlhomaidDepartment of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Food, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
Paul D ThompsonNutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
Mary T McCannNutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland. Electronic address: mt.mccann@ulster.ac.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundObesity and iron deficiency (ID) are global health concerns in pregnancy, with serious consequences for mother and offspring. The inflammatory state associated with obesity and its potential contribution to ID/anemia is unclear.

objectivesThis study aims to investigate the associations among maternal adiposity, the mediating role of inflammation, and iron status. We also aim to examine how adiposity affects the predictive accuracy of early pregnancy iron markers for late pregnancy ID risk.

methodsThis secondary analysis of a double-blind randomized controlled trial included singleton pregnancies supplemented with a multivitamin containing 17 mg/d of iron. Body mass index (BMI), body composition [12 gestational weeks (GW)], iron markers (12, 28, 36 GW), and hemoglobin/hematological indices (12, 28 GW, postpartum) were assessed. Proinflammatory cytokines were used to calculate an inflammation score and categorized as high/low inflammation.

resultsA total of 125 pregnant women were included: 43 normal weight, 44 overweight, and 38 with obesity. At 36 GW, ID was present in 50% of women with obesity, 40.9% of those overweight, and 30.2% with normal BMI. High BMI and fat mass index (FMI) at 12 GW predicted lower ferritin at 36 GW (BMI β = -0.253, P = 0.020; FMI β = -0.265, P = 0.010), and all adiposity measures predicted higher soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR). Transferrin saturation was lower in women with obesity at 12 and 28 GW (12 GW 23.9%, 24.5%, 30.3%, P = 0.016; 28 GW 13.2%, 17.7%, 17.2% P < 0.001, obesity, overweight, and normal weight, respectively). At 36 GW, pregnant women with obesity and higher inflammation score had lower ferritin than normal weight women (15.0 compared with 20.3 μg/L, P = 0.041). sTfR at 12 GW was the best predictor of ID at 36 GW [area under curve (AUC) = 0.738, P < 0.001], especially in overweight/obesity (AUC = 0.744, P < 0.001).

conclusionsHigh adiposity, mediated by inflammation, increases the risk of ID in the late third trimester. sTfR in early pregnancy emerges as an effective marker for predicting ID in late pregnancy.

Indexed as

AdiposityAnemia, Iron-DeficiencyInflammationIron DeficienciesObesityPregnancy ComplicationsAdultBiomarkersBody Mass IndexDietary SupplementsDouble-Blind MethodFemaleFerritinsHumansIronPregnancyBiomarkersFerritinsIronanemiabody fatgravidityhypoferremiainterleukinsiron depletioniron markersiron statusprenatal carevisceral fat

Identifiers

PMID40886951
PMCPMC12799426

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.