Iron Deficiency in Athletes

@article{Rowland2012IronDI,
  title={Iron Deficiency in Athletes},
  author={Thomas W. Rowland},
  journal={American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine},
  year={2012},
  volume={6},
  pages={319 - 327}
}
  • T. Rowland
  • Published 20 January 2012
  • Medicine
  • American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine
Adequate body stores of iron are necessary for optimal endurance exercise performance. Severe iron depletion resulting in overt iron-deficiency anemia clearly depresses endurance fitness, but it is not clear if milder degrees of iron deficiency (low serum ferritin with normal hemoglobin levels) impair physical capacity. The question is an important one for athletes, particularly females, who are particularly prone to iron deficiency without anemia. This review examines research data, in both… 
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Even with monitoring and treatment in place, ID and IDA are significant concerns for the health and performance of elite runners and triathletes, and this issue affects males and females.
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How iron deficiency may interact with each component of the female athlete triad, that is, energy status, reproductive function, and bone health, is described.
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The aim of this review was to synthesize the current evidence examining the impact of dietary manipulations on the iron regulatory response to exercise, with relevance to contemporary sports nutrition approaches, including models of periodized CHO availability and ketogenic low CHO high fat diets.
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The need to screen for anemia in exercising women
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A simple screening tool for HMB and finger prick haemoglobin testing for anemia is recommended in women undertaking exercise in order to predict anemia in exercising women.
Women’s health in sport: The prevalence and impact of heavy menstrual bleeding and iron deficiency
TLDR
HMB is a risk factor for ID, physiological and psychological function decrements in exercising women and serum ferritin as a biomarker for ID and its associated normative data should be re-evaluated to avoid false positive ID diagnosis.
Cobalt in athletes: hypoxia and doping - new crossroads
Cobalt is an essential trace element that is known to mimic hypoxia and hypoxic training. Inorganic Co compounds are capable of Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) activation, resulting in…
Iron Deficiency without Anemia: A Common Yet Under-Recognized Diagnosis in Young Women with Heavy Menstrual Bleeding.
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  • Medicine
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