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Copyright © 2005 Peak Performance. All Rights Reserved.
FAQ #6 - Should women be concerned about their iron status and take iron supplements?
First of all iron is important in exercise because it is a key component of the hemoglobin molecule in your red blood cells - this is the molecule that picks up oxygen from your lungs and carries it in the red blood cells to the other cells in your body that require the oxygen to function - so of course your muscles demand alot of oxygen to keep going and an optimal iron status becomes important in your ability to train well and ultimately compete.
The current studies in exercise performance indicate that exercise performance is not affected until the hemoglobin levels fall. This suggests that athletes with a low ferrritin value, indicating a fall in iron stores, are not at risk while their hemoglobin levels stay unchanged. However, in practice, many athletes complain of fatigue and inability to train effectively, which corresponds to a fall in their ferritin status (Hawley and Burke, 1998)
The chief cause of iron deficiency is an imbalance between increased iron needs or losses and an inadequate iron intake. Situations of increased iron needs in athletes include:
a growth spurt as a teenager
- menstrual blood losses, especially when heavy blood flow is experienced
- high training loads of high impact exercise (road/trail running) - this destroys more red blood cells
- altitutude training
- gastrointestinal bleeding from anti-inflammatory drugs
- during the highest volume training macrocycle in a periodized training plan
There are currently no universal standards for optimal iron status measurements in athletes. Nor can a single blood test tell what is normal or abnormal for an individual athlete - therefore a number of measurements, including blood results, clinical examination and the presence of risk factors are needed to diagnose iron deficiency in an athlete. Monitoring changes in your blood results, such as a drop in serum ferritin or hemoglobin, is more helpful than a single reading. So periodic screening of iron status by your doctor is more helpful since it may help you and your doctor to identify what levels are associated with good training and performance, and where the "danger zone" is for you and your performance.
Guidelines for preserving your iron status include:
- Have routine screenings done of your iron status (ferritin and hemoglobin) so that you and your doctor and Registered Dietitian can recognize YOUR optimal range and know when to treat a FALLING level.
- Eat iron fortifed breads, cereals, pastas WITH vitamin C rich foods (tomatoes, citrus fruits)
- Identify the foods that are rich in none-heme iron, such as eggs, whole grain cereals, dried fruits, legumes, soya products, dark leafy green vegies - make these the focus of your meals
- Avoid tea/coffee when eating these iron rich foods
- Only your MD should prescribe iron supplements but you may want to take a daily vitamin-mineral pill with added iron.
Copyright © 2005 Peak Performance. All Rights Reserved.
