Runners: are you getting enough iron?

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Have you noticed a decline in your workout performance lately? Are you feeling tired and sluggish and can't figure out why? There could be a number of reasons for this, such as reduced body fat (athletic ammenhorea) that leads to a lack of estrogen and prostregon or irregular menstrual cycles resulting from excessive mileage. Another factor however, which might be playing a role in your lackluster running and sagging energy levels, is a lack of iron.

Iron deficiency is especially prevalent among women, for a few different reasons. In an attempt to watch our waistlines as well as our health, women tend to avoid eating red meat. However, by steering away from what we think is bad for us, we could actually be ruining our health as well as our performance. This is largely because iron is responsible for red-blood cell formation.

In athletes, particularly women, iron deficiency follows three phases. Firstly, there is the depletion of iron stores, followed by diminished erythropoieses (the hormone EPO which is responsible for red blood cell production) and finally reduced hemoglobin production. Reduced hemoglobin production is not apparent until the latter stages, in other words, when the problem is chronic and deficiency is extremely low. It is the haemoglobin that carries the oxygen around our bodies.

Studies show that more than 50 percent of all women runners are deficient in iron. Sagging iron levels result in fatigue and poor endurance, since the blood is unable to carry oxygen as efficiently to working muscles. Feeling chilled or cold is another sign that your iron may be low. Though a loss of iron does occur during menstruation, lack of iron in the diet is the most likely cause of deficiency.

This phenomenon is illustrated in a recent study, which reported that women distance runners usually get less than the recommended daily allowance of 15 milligrams. The highest loss of iron per day in top class athletes can be up to 2mg. The decline in performance starts when the daily intake fails to meet this.

Thankfully, one of the possible solutions may be simple: eat more iron-rich foods. Two particularly good sources of iron include lean red meat and dark poultry. Women often shy away from red meat due to its fat content, but by choosing lean cuts you can 'meat' your iron needs while still maintaining a low-fat diet.

For those of you who are vegetarians, two good non-meat sources of iron are lentils and iron-fortified breakfast cereals. But if you're eating a fortified breakfast cereal to boost your iron intake, make sure not to drink coffee or tea during your meal. These beverages block the body's ability to absorb iron. On the other hand, Vitamin C actually helps the body absorb iron, so feel free to drink plenty of orange juice with iron-rich foods or iron supplements.

If you do have low iron levels, you may want to begin taking a supplement. Make sure you check with your physician beforehand, as taking too much iron has its drawbacks. Too much iron can limit your body's ability to absorb zinc and may also cause constipation. The best way to make sure you're getting enough iron is to consume two to four ounces of lean red meat or dark poultry each day.

If you do choose to take an iron supplement, ask your physician for advice on how much iron to take. It should be pointed out however that several studies have found no benefit from iron-supplementation and a non-hemoglobin relation. Studies on rats have found improved performance on iron-deficient rats, but no increase in hemoglobin. It was postulated that the iron supplementation helped speed up metabolism.

Once you're iron levels are back up to a healthy level, you'll be amazed by the improvement in your performance as well as the increase in your energy level!

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