Iron status and the female athlete
Abstract
Iron deficiency (ID) is the most prevalent micronutrient deficiency disorder in the world. In the developed world, the greatest prevalence of ID and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) occurs in premenopausal women. Premenopausal women experience ID and IDA due to inadequate consumption of dietary iron coupled with iron losses through physiologic processes such as menstruation. Further, female athletes may experience an elevated risk of ID and IDA, as hepcidin, a peptide hormone that inhibits iron absorption and sequesters iron in the macrophage, may rise in response to physical activity. Declines in physical and cognitive performance have been demonstrated in female athletes with ID and IDA. Performance decrements are attenuated as iron status improves. This review will focus on iron status in female athletes, and will include a review of nutritional countermeasures to prevent ID and IDA.
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The current RDA for iron is 8 mg/d for males and 18 mg/d for females, with the higher female recommendation necessary to compensate for iron losses associated with menses and lower hepcidin concentrations.
“The current RDA for iron, both for the general and athletic population, is 8 mg/d for males and 18 mg/d for females [244], with the higher female recommendations necessary to compensate for iron losses associated with menses [245] and lower hepcidin concentrations [246].”
From Nutritional Considerations for the Vegan Athlete (2023) · cites this paper as [245]
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- Authors
- McClung, J. P.
- Affiliations
- U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- McClung, James P.
- ORCID
- McClung, James P.
- Venue
- Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-06
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 2-3
- Pages
- 124-126
- ISSN
- 0946-672X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1992258729
- Cited by
- 50
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 3.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Iron Metabolism and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Exercise and Physiological Responses
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Erythropoietin and Anemia Treatment
- Keywords
- iron deficiency, iron deficiency anemia, female athletes, iron status, hepcidin, menstrual blood loss, iron intake, athletic performance, cognitive performance, iron supplementation, micronutrient deficiency
- MeSH terms
- Iron Deficiencies, Female, Humans, Motor Activity, Anemia, Iron-Deficiency, Athletes
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