The story of a little Micro-Nutrient called Iron
by coach Dawn Elder
Some of the littlest things pack the biggest punch. While we have many "micro- nutrients" in our diets, Iron is one that can make all the difference for an endurance athlete. Iron transports oxygen, aids in Thyroid function ( all the buzz these days), helps immune function and the formation of red blood cells. Hard training stimulates the number of red blood cells increasing the need for Iron. One red blood cell contains 250 million hemoglobin molecules, one hemoglobin molecule can transport 4 oxygen molecules which means that one blood cell can transport one billion oxygen molecules. When your legs are screaming, know that those little red blood cells are coming to your aid. However, we need iron stores to improve the oxygen carrying capacity of the hemoglobin. Female athlete can lose 2.2 iron milligrams a day and male endurance athletes can lose 1.7 milligrams a day. The western diet only contains 10-35% of the Iron recommendation. If we aren't absorbing iron from food and we are losing a fair amount, it is easy to become deficient. Signs of Iron deficiency are feeling weak or tired, decreased work/school performance, difficulty maintaining body temperature and decreased immune function. While it isn't wise to just start supplementing, it is prudent to eat an Iron rich diet especially in high training periods as well as get periodically tested for Iron levels. Most of the time, we can get the best Iron from our diets. Meat, fish, poultry, broccoli, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, potatoes, green and red bell peppers are some examples of Iron absorption promoters. Calcium, coffee, tea, spinach, chard, rhubarb, bran and soy products can be iron absorption inhibitors. It is important to note that when a training load goes up the ferritin or blood iron stores goes down. It takes a 6-8 week time frame to build up depleted stores so looking ahead to increased volume and intensity is a good time remember those Iron stores to keep you moving through your training. As always, consult with a physician if you believe you need to be tested or supplement.
Happy Training!
For questions or comments contact Coach Dawn Elder at dawn@trisitionarea.com
Tri-Sition Area is not affiliated with any particular coaching service nor does it support any specific method or philosophy of training
