Copied by Chiro. While women have long been active in such sports as tennis and golf, they have recently increased their participation in such violent activities as wrestling, boxing, football, and demolition derbies. To ensure optimal endurance and performance, adequate iron is necessary in he diet to carry oxygen to the cells.
Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional fault in American females.
A female loses from 5 to 45 mg of iron per day during menstruation. Thus, most female athletes require diet supplements and frequent monitoring of blood-iron content. Gender differences in heart size, muscle mass, relative hemoglobin content of blood, oxygen consumption, anthropometric measurements, and body composition have been noted. The capacity for physical activity during childhood is equal for both sexes. Strength, cardiovascular endurance, and motor skills exhibit few differences between the sexes to the age of 12 years.