The condition iron-deficiency anaemia often affects athletes. What causes it, what symptoms occur, how is it treated and what foods help prevent it?
We explain in this post!
What Is Iron-Deficiency Anaemia?
Anaemia means fewer healthy red blood cells, essential for oxygen delivery. Different causes of this deficit produce different types of anaemia.
The commonest type, iron-deficiency anaemia, develops with insufficient iron. How does iron relate to red blood cells? The mineral iron is essential to red blood cells; without it, blood cannot efficiently transport oxygen required by all cells.
What Are Normal Iron Levels?
Normal blood iron ranges are approximately 40 to 150 ug/dL in women and 50 to 160 ug/dL in men.
Diagnosing iron-deficiency anaemia also considers total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation and ferritin levels. Here is what they mean.
Iron travels bound to transferrin. Normal TIBC is 240 to 450 mcg/dL and is usually higher when iron stores are low.
The transferrin saturation index shows the percentage bound to iron. The value for normal saturation is 20% to 50%. This percentage falls when iron levels are low.
The molecule ferritin is an intracellular protein that stores iron for use when needed. It allows iron to be released appropriately. Thus, ferritin levels indirectly indicate iron stores. Normal blood ranges are 12 to 300 ng/mL in men and 12 to 150 ng/mL in women. Lower ferritin makes insufficient iron more likely.
Generally, iron-deficiency anaemia involves lower blood iron, transferrin saturation and ferritin, with higher TIBC.
Causes of Iron-Deficiency Anaemia
What increases the risk of iron-deficiency anaemia?
Main causes of low iron include:
- Iron losses through wounds, urine, stools or sweat
- Impaired absorption from faster intestinal transit, altered permeability or absorption inhibitors
- Low dietary intake.
These factors explain many cases of iron-deficiency anaemia.
How Does It Develop?
The condition anaemia develops gradually after iron reserves are depleted. Men generally have larger reserves than women.
Symptoms
Possible symptoms include:
- Pale skin
- Persistent fatigue and poor exercise tolerance
- Palpitations
- Irritability
- Depressive symptoms
- Insomnia
- Brittle nails and hair loss
How Long Does Recovery Take?
Although iron-deficiency anaemia substantially affects daily life, particularly in athletes, it is reassuring that iron-deficiency anaemia can be treated.
Treatment
Once diagnosed, anaemia needs treatment according to severity.
First identify the underlying cause and address it where possible, such as wounds, haemorrhoids or malabsorption.
When iron-deficiency anaemia reflects nutritional deficiency, increase iron-rich foods: fortified dairy products, red meat, fish and shellfish, egg yolks, nuts such as pine nuts, almonds and pistachios, cereals such as wheat germ, barley and oats, pulses, vegetables such as chard and spinach, and fruit such as oranges and strawberries.
Consider iron absorption inhibitors including phytates, oxalates in leafy greens, and phosphates and tannins in coffee and tea. Favour factors supporting absorption and bioavailability, including vitamin C and vitamin E, fructose, certain amino acids and haem iron in animal protein-rich foods.
A doctor may approve iron supplementation taken orally as ferrous or ferric salts. Parenteral iron is reserved for severe malabsorption, severe undernutrition or malnutrition, or poor adherence or intolerance to oral treatment. Only extremely severe cases require transfusion.
10 Iron-Rich Foods
What should you eat with iron-deficiency anaemia? Here are iron-rich foods.
Amounts per 100 grams.
- Clams and cockles (24 mg)
- Dried broad beans (8.5 mg)
- Liver (8 mg)
- Pistachios (7.3 mg)
- Lentils (7.1 mg)
- Horse meat (7 mg)
- Chickpeas and beans (6.7 mg)
- Mussels (4.5 mg)
- Almonds and hazelnuts (4.2 mg)
- Spinach (4 mg)
How Does Anaemia Affect Sports Performance?
Monitoring red blood cell parameters matters for everyone, particularly athletes.
A key performance measure is VO2 max, the greatest oxygen quantity absorbed, transported and used per unit time.
The gas oxygen is carried by red blood cells. Their number, quality and size influence oxygen transport and therefore endurance capacity.
Because iron is essential to red blood cells, insufficient iron impairs oxygen delivery. This causes persistent fatigue and exercise intolerance. An iron deficit therefore harms performance.
The group athletes often has higher iron needs through sweat loss, red blood cell destruction during rapid passage through capillaries, microtrauma and impacts, myoglobin breakdown and increased aerobic training demands involving more mitochondria and haemoglobin, myoglobin and muscle fibre turnover.
If you want to take these recommendations further and adapt them to your goals, training and individual needs, at INDYA you can work with a sports nutritionist who will design and adjust a personalised nutrition plan for you.
If you also want in-person support, INDYA offers a sports nutritionist in Valencia, with a plan tailored to your sport, goals and everyday life.
