HAMP and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Hepcidin, a key hormone synthesized in the liver, can regulate iron homeostasis [18]; it can prevent iron efflux from enterocytes, macrophages, and hepatocytes into the plasma by inducing internalization and degradation of the iron exporter ferroportin in these cells [19], which indicates that the iron overload is further aggravated by inadequate hepcidin in T2DM.