Consuming appropriate amounts of iron supplements can boost exercise performance among women, a new study find.
The effectiveness of supplements remains a highly debatable topic. While many studies have claimed that supplements are a waste of money, others feel they may have many health benefits. Supporting the latter opinion, University of Melbourne researchers found that consuming appropriate amounts of iron supplements can boost exercise performance among women.
Researchers noted a marked improvement in women's exercise performance, in terms of both the highest level they could achieve at 100 percent exertion (maximal capacity) and their exercise efficiency at a sub-maximal exertion. Women that took iron supplements were able to perform a given exercise using a lower heart rate and at a higher efficiency. Researchers also found that iron deficiency can impair exercise performance in women.
"This was mainly seen in women who had been iron deficient or anemic at the beginning of the trial and in women who were specifically training, including in elite athletes," lead researcher, Dr Sant-Rayn Pasricha from the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, said in a press statement. "The study collected data from many individual smaller studies which generally could not identify this beneficial effect on their own. However, when we merged the data using meta-analysis, we found this impressive benefit from iron."
This is the first study that has confirmed iron supplementation has beneficial effects on exercise performance. Findings of the study can help facilitate improved performance among athletes and overall well-being among the general public.
"It may be worthwhile screening women, including women training as elite athletes, for iron deficiency, and ensuring they receive appropriate prevention and treatment strategies. Athletes, especially females, are at increased risk of iron deficiency potentially, due to their diets and inflammation caused by excessive exercise," said Dr Pasricha.
Findings of the study were published in the Journal of Nutrition.
