Whether you're pumping iron, training for the Iron Man Marathon or just trying to stay fit, iron is one nutrient that needs to be in balance for peak performance. Relatively common among all teenage girls and women, iron deficiency anemia is even more common among female athletes, especially runners and ballet dancers. To add insult to injury, when women with marginal iron stores stop menstruating as their bodies attempt to conserve what little iron they have, they may be setting themselves up for early onset of osteoporosis.
Iron literally gives energy by helping carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles during exercise.
When iron stores become low, the flow of oxygen to the muscles slows down. As a result carbohydrates and fats are not burned as efficiently and performance suffers. Female runners are particularly susceptible to this malady because of the iron they lose during menstruation. Male runners, however, are by no means immune. For example, Alberto Salazar was diagnosed as iron deficient less than three months before the 1984 Olympic trials.