HAMP and metabolic syndrome: Table 1 shows that middle-aged women (≥45 y) were heavier and had higher prevalence of dyslipidemia, MetS, and severe fatty liver than did young adult women (<45 y; all p < 0.05; Table 1). Contrastingly, young adult women had a higher percent skeletal muscle mass and lower percent visceral fat mass and body fat mass than did middle-aged women (all p = 0.001; Table 1). Furthermore, young adult women had higher levels of serum iron, but lower levels of ferritin, hepcidin, HbA1c, and free Hb than did middle-aged women (all p < 0.001; Table 1).