Serum ferritin concentration is associated with plasma levels of cholesterol oxidation products in man

Cholesterol oxidation products, oxysterols, are thought to play a part in the initiation and development of human atherosclerotic lesions. Excessive body iron has been suggested to promote atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease through its pro-oxidative properties. In the present study, the associations between serum ferritin and plasma oxysterol concentrations were examined in 669 eastern Finnish men. Serum ferritin concentration had statistically significant (p < .05) direct correlations with most of the measured oxysterols. In multivariate adjusted regression models, serum ferritin concentration predicted significantly the levels of 27-hydroxycholesterol (beta = 0.13, p < .001), 7α-hydroxycholesterol (beta = 0.11, p = .005), 25-hydroxycholesterol (beta = 0.10, p = .007), 7-ketocholesterol (beta = 0.10, p = .009), and 7β-hydroxycholesterol (beta = 0.10, p = .02). In conclusion, excess body iron, as assessed by serum ferritin, is associated with increased levels of circulating oxysterols, both of enzymatic and nonenzymatic origin, in man.