Part 2: Minerals: Iron

Yesterday evening I did 50 laps (2.5km) of the Tropicana pool in 1 hour and I now feel like an iron-man ha!ha! Today, I will do the treadmill at 11am at True Fitness (my settings are o.5 inclination and 11 km/hr for 30 minutes flat- not bad for someone nearing 40 yrs, weighing 85 kg).

The body normally contains between 2.5 and 4.0 grams of trace mineral iron. Seventy to 80% exists in functionally active compounds, predominantly with haemoglobin red blood cells (85% of functional iron). It increases the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity 65 times.

Physically active individuals should include normal amounts of iron-rich foods in their diet. E

Exercise -Induced Anaemia: Fact or Fiction?

Interest in endurance sports, combined with increased participation of women in these activities, has focused research on the influence of intense training on the body's iron status. The term sports anaemia frequently describes reduced haemoglobin levels approaching clincial anaemia (12 g/dl women; 14 g/dl men). Some maintain that strenuous training creates an added demand for iron that often exceeds its intake. This taxes iron reserves and eventually leads to depressed haemoglobin synthesis and/or reduction in iron-containing compounds within the cells's energy transfer system. Individuals susceptible to an "iron-drain" could experience reduced exercise capacity because of iron's crucial role in oxygen transport and use.

Intense physical training theoretically creates an augmented iron demand from three sources:

1. Small loss of iron in sweat
2. Loss of haemoglobin in urine from red blood cells destruction with increased temperature, spleen activity, and circulation rates and from jaring of the kidneys and mechanical trauma from feet pounding the running surface.
3. Gastrointestinal bleeding with distance running that is unrelated to age, gender, or performance time.

However, there is no evidence to indicate that these factors stain an athlete's iron reserves and precipitate clinical anaemia if iron intake remains at recommended levels.

To be continued tomorrow