13d (edited) • Nutrition
Weekly Deep Dive
For those who are interested - my fave article this week (co-authored by a CrossFit Blackburn Alumni!): Iron deficiency, supplementation, and sports performance in female athletes: A systematic review
For those who don't want to decipher an academic paper and just want the key takeaways:
- Iron deficiency reduces aerobic capacity by 3%-4% BUT you can IMPROVE performance by 2%-20% with supplementation!!
- Iron deficiency has similar impacts on explosive strength, but supplementation has wider ranging effects (i.e there more variability between individuals - more research needed).
Kat’s Notes:
- BEING IN RANGE ON BLOODWORK (i.e Ferritin levels of 30-50) is INSUFFCIENT to achieve top athletic results. ALL women who are undertaking any sort of athletic pursuits should aim for a MINIMUM ferritin level of 50. Your doctor might tell you your iron levels are 'normal' but you're still leaving gains on the table
- I recommend testing iron / ferritin levels 2x / year in athletic females
Nutritional Interventions to boost iron levels include:
- Increase quality red meat intake (duh) – grass finished meat has better bioavailability
- Eat your non-heme iron sources (leafy greens, beans, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds) with a vitamin C rich food (oranges, strawberries)
- Cook in cast iron
- Consider including a bit of organ meat on occasion or freeze dried forms
When's the last time you had your iron levels checked?!
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