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.

To estimate iron status among healthy, male and female blood donors, aged 18-65 years. 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 iron status were analysed. The 677C>T, 1420C>T, 19bp ins/del, G>A polymorphisms were also assayed.Mean plasma concentrations of iron and ferritin were 16.6 µmol/L (95% CIs 16.0-17.2) and 33.8 µg/L (95% CIs31.5-36.2), respectively. Adequate plasma iron concentrations (>10.74 µmol/L) were detected in 84.3% and adequate ferritin concentrations (20-200 µg/L) was found in 72.5% of the whole cohort. Among the folate-related polymorphisms analysed, carriers of the 19bp del/del mutant allele showed lower ferritin concentration when compared to 19bp ins/del genotypes.In a sample of Italian healthy blood donors, adequate plasma concentrations of iron and ferritin were reached in a large proportion of subjects. The relationship of iron status with lifestyle factors and folate-related polymorphisms requires more investigation to clarify further gene-nutrient interactions between folate and iron metabolism.