Objective: Insulin is a hormone that plays a role in glucose, lipid and protein metabolism and is secreted from the pancreas. In case of decrease in insulin synthesis and secretion or unresponsiveness to insulin in peripheral tissues, especially insulin resistance (IR) and diabetes mellitus occur. Iron and zinc are the 2 most abundant trace elements in the human body. In this study it was aimed to investigate serum zinc and iron levels in patients with insulin resistance.

Materials and Methods: The study was conducted by retrospectively examining the files of the patients who applied to the Private Gaziantep Emek Hospital Internal Medicine outpatient clinic. 77 patients (43 females, 34 males) with ID and 49 healthy subjects (27 females, 22 males) and a total of 126 cases with biochemical data were included in the study.

Results: Serum iron level was 77 (63.2-86) μg/dL in the group with insulin resistance and 89 (78.7-96.2) μg/dL in the control group (p<0.05). When the zinc values of both groups were compared, it was found to be 75 (73-78) μg/dL in the IR group and 96 (93-104) μg/dL in the control group (p<0.001).

Conclusion: In patients with insulin resistance, iron levels decrease due to increased adipose tissue, systemic low-grade inflammation, and decreased iron absorption from the duodenum. Insulin also decreases serum iron levels by accelerating iron uptake into hepatocytes. In conclusion, in this study, in which the complex relationship was investigated, both zinc and iron levels were found to be low in patients with insulin resistance.