Daily iron supplementation significantly improves maximal and submaximal exercise performance in WRA , providing a rationale to prevent and treat iron deficiency in this group .
Animal and human observational studies suggest that iron deficiency impairs physical exercise performance , but findings from r and omized trials on the effects of iron are equivocal .
Iron deficiency and anemia are especially common in women of reproductive age ( WRA ) .
Clear evidence of benefit from iron supplementation would inform clinical and public health guidelines .
Therefore , we performed a systematic review and meta- analysis to determine the effect of iron supplementation compared with control on exercise performance in WRA .
The effect of iron therapy on the exercise capacity of nonanemic iron-deficient adolescent runners.
Iron-deficiency anemia impairs exercise capacity , but whether nonanemic iron depletion decreases endurance performance is unclear . In 14 iron-deficient ( serum ferritin level , less than 20 micrograms/L [ less than 20 ng/L])nonanemic runners , hematologic and treadmill running values were followed up during a competitive season . Following a four-week control period , runners were treated for one month in a double-blind protocol with ferrous sulfate ( 975 mg/d ) or placebo . During treatment , the mean ferritin level rose from 8.7 to 26.6 micrograms/L ( 8.7 to 26.6 ng/mL ) in those patients taking iron and fell from 10.6 to 8.6 micrograms/L ( 10.7 to 8.6 ng/mL ) in the placebo group . Treadmill endurance times improved significantly in the iron-treated runners compared with controls . Endurance time declined in all seven controls ( range , 0.07 to 1.30 minutes ) , while six of seven iron-treated subjects improved their performance ( range , 0.03 to 1.92 minutes ) . No significant differences in maximal or submaximal oxygen consumption , ventilation , or heart rate were observed between the groups except for a 4 % increase in maximum oxygen consumption during placebo treatment . These data indicate that nonanemic iron deficiency impairs exercise performance but does not influence gas exchange or cardiac measures
Daily iron supplementation significantly improves maximal and submaximal exercise performance in WRA , providing a rationale to prevent and treat iron deficiency in this group .
Animal and human observational studies suggest that iron deficiency impairs physical exercise performance , but findings from r and omized trials on the effects of iron are equivocal .
Iron deficiency and anemia are especially common in women of reproductive age ( WRA ) .
Clear evidence of benefit from iron supplementation would inform clinical and public health guidelines .
Therefore , we performed a systematic review and meta- analysis to determine the effect of iron supplementation compared with control on exercise performance in WRA .