Thermogenesis and thermoregulatory function of iron-deficient women without anemia.

Physiological responses at 16 degrees C were studied in 11 women, age 28 +/- 2(mean +/- S.E.) years and 26 +/- 2% fat, after their body iron stores were depleted by diet (5.0 mg iron x 2,000 kcal-1 x d-1), phlebotomy and menstruation for about 80 d and were repleted by diet (13.7 mg iron x 2,000 kcal-1 x d-1) for about 100 d, including daily iron supplementation (50 mg of iron as ferrous sulfate) for the last 14 d of repletion. Iron depletion was characterized by a decline (p less than 0.05) in hemoglobin (12.0 +/- 0.2 g x dl-1), ferritin (5.5 +/- 0.5 ng x ml-1) and body iron balance (-9.1 +/- 2.6 mg x 6 d-1). Iron repletion, including supplementation, increased (p less than 0.05) hemoglobin (12.6 +/- 0.1 g x dl-1), ferritin (9.5 +/- 0.4 ng x ml-1) and iron balance (+67 +/- 6.7 mg x 6 d-1). Iron depletion reduced (p less than 0.05) metabolic heat production (49.6 +/- 1.1 vs 53.6 +/- 1.2 W x m-2) during acute cold exposure. The rates of cooling of the core and periphery were greater (p less than 0.05) during iron depletion than repletion. A shift in the lower core temperature threshold for shivering was paralleled by an earlier onset of shivering (p less than 0.05) in iron depletion indicating an adaptation in cold tolerance in an attempt to maintain core temperature. Iron depletion was associated with blunted post-exposure increases in plasma thyroid hormone concentrations and greater (p less than 0.05) increases in plasma norepinephrine concentrations as compared to iron repletion. In a subsample of the women, no significant effect of calcium or ascorbic acid supplementation was found on responses to cold exposure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)