In modern sports, where the competition takes place in hundredths of a second, an important role is played not only by the athlete's psycho-physical training, but also by his state of health. At the same time, one of the important roles is assigned to the iron, since it is an integral part of hemoglobin, participates in oxygen transporting, as part of myoglobin - in transfer and maintenance of oxygen reserves in muscles, is a part of the cytochromes of the respiratory chain, participates in the process of aerobic energy production, work of the immune system, in the development and normal function of the brain.
Prevalence of iron metabolic disorders among professional athletes: Latent deficit Male 27%, Female 37%; IDA Male 24%, Female 42%. Iron deficiency in athletes leads to a decrease in physical performance, limiting the possibility of prompt recovery, and a decrease in skeletal muscle tone. In the blood, the content of lactic acid increases (since the main buffer of blood during the utilization of lactic acid is hemoglobin buffer) and the gas gradient of blood oxygen and carbon dioxide changes. And this, in its turn, leads to "overtraining" and overstraining. Low energy supply in critical systems is accompanied by disorders of adaptation to extreme loads of the cardiorespiratory and central nervous systems, the development of immunodeficiency states.
It is obvious that this complex of physiological changes caused by iron deficiency is able to limit drastically professional capabilities of an athlete and the possibility of achieving high scores in sports.
Iron deficiency in athletes could be caused by a number of reasons, which, in particular, include insufficient iron content in food consumed and the general diet composition. So, tea, coffee, excess intake of calcium and zinc preparations prevent iron absorption. Excessive sweating during exercise could cause additional iron loss. Decreased oxygen transport function in athletes can also be caused by hemolysis - destruction of red blood cells due to mechanical or chemical injury. Mechanical injury occurs while running when the foot hits the ground (marching anemia). Chemical trauma is associated with lack of oxygen or a high concentration of lactic acid. Excessive exercise sometimes causes minor hemorrhages in the intestinal area and ischemia in the kidney area. Chronic intoxication can also cause chronic hemolytic anemia.
Iron loss in professional athletes could reach levels seen in pregnancy! The level of "professional" iron losses is 0.5-1.5 mg / day, and at the peak of loads and during the competitive period it could approach 6-11 mg / day.
Underestimation the importance of prevention, timely diagnosis and effective correction of iron metabolism disorders in sports could negate the athlete's long-term efforts.
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