Menstrual blood losses and body mass index are associated with serum ferritin concentrations among female varsity athletes

Mayer, Chantal; Barker, Mikaela K; Dirk, Payge; Moore, Kelsey M.; McCrudden, Emma; Karakochuk, Crystal D

doi:10.1139/apnm-2019-0436

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Accordingly, each 1 mg/day increase in menstrual iron loss can result in a 6 × 9 µg/L decrease in serum ferritin levels [96]. Furthermore, a significant negative association is known to exist between estimated monthly menstrual blood loss and serum ferritin concentrations in female collegiate level athletes, meaning lower iron stores in athletes may be attributed in part to greater blood losses during the menses [97]. Individuals experiencing heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), defined as excessive menstrual blood loss (≥80 mL per menstrual cycle) are at a higher risk of iron deficiency [17,98].…”

Section: Menstrual Blood Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Iron and the Elite Dancer

et al. 2022

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Dancers are an athlete population at high risk of developing iron deficiency (ID). The aesthetic nature of the discipline means dancers potentially utilise dietary restriction to meet physique goals. In combination with high training demands, this means dancers are susceptible to problems related to low energy availability (LEA), which impacts nutrient intake. In the presence of LEA, ID is common because of a reduced mineral content within the low energy diet. Left untreated, ID becomes an issue that results in fatigue, reduced aerobic work capacity, and ultimately, iron deficient anaemia (IDA). Such progression can be detrimental to a dancer’s capacity given the physically demanding nature of training, rehearsal, and performances. Previous literature has focused on the manifestation and treatment of ID primarily in the context of endurance athletes; however, a dance-specific context addressing the interplay between dance training and performance, LEA and ID is essential for practitioners working in this space. By consolidating findings from identified studies of dancers and other relevant athlete groups, this review explores causal factors of ID and potential treatment strategies for dancers to optimise absorption from an oral iron supplementation regime to adequately support health and performance.

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Section: Menstrual Blood Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Iron and the Elite Dancer

et al. 2022

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“…With regards to biomechanics, strong correlations between joint kinetics and BMI were observed in youth baseball pitchers, indicating that select body composition measures may be correlated with pitching arm joint kinetics [12]. Finally, in female varsity athletes, higher BMI was associated with higher serum ferritin concentrations [13].…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

“…An association of BMI with other performance-and healthrelated aspects such as cognitive function [11], biomechanics [12], and serum ferritin concentration [13] has also been noticed. In Division I collegiate athletes, higher BMI is associated with reduced cognitive function [11].…”

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confidence: 99%

Editorial: Should BMI be Reported in a Paper’s Abstract?

Nikolaïdis¹,

Marinho²

2022

TOSSJ

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Body mass and height are major anthropometric characteristics used to profile athletes' characteristics. The importance of these variables is highlighted in several scientific papers, where reporting body mass and height in both abstract and main text (methods section) of scientific papers is highly recommended by journals' editors. A widely used index describing the relationship between body mass and height is body mass index (BMI). Although there is a consensus for reporting body mass and height of athletes in research, BMI is rarely presented. The aim of the present editorial is to provide evidence supporting the decision about whether BMI should be reported in the abstract and main text.

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“…Similarly, Sims et al demonstrated that 46% of nonprofessional but internationally competitive female endurance athletes were ID with less than 30 µg/L of serum ferritin level [ 13 ]. Menstrual blood loss, body mass index (BMI), were associated with ID and IDA in young athletes [ 14 ]. Certain high-intensity sports can result in increased hepcidin levels [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of iron-deficient but non-anemic university athletes in Japan: an observational cohort study

Nabeyama,

Suzuki,

Saito

et al. 2023

Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition

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Background Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are long-standing health problems in athletes, affecting both performance and health. ID prevalence in young athletes remains high and a matter of concern. ID and IDA can lead to fatigue, reduced endurance, and decreased oxygen transport, potentially compromising athletic performance. We hypothesized that ID would still be a major health concern in university athletes across sports clubs in Japan. Purpose The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of ID and IDA in athletes participating in Kendo, badminton, baseball, and handball at the University of Tsukuba (Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan). The study also examined the correlation between hypoferritinemia and other variables, such as previous use of iron supplements, body mass index (BMI), energy intake, and years of athletics. Methods Between January and December 2019, 126 university athletes, consisting of 79 males and 47 females, underwent physical measurements and blood tests. The blood test included complete blood count, levels of serum ferritin, serum iron, and total iron-binding capacity. The anemia was defined in accordance with the WHO criteria. Daily energy and iron intake were estimated with the food frequency questionnaire in Japanese (FFQg). Thirty-four female athletes responded to a survey about their menstruation and low-dose estrogen-progestin (LEP) usage. Results While none of the athletes had anemia, 22 (47%) female athletes exhibited serum ferritin levels of 30 ng/mL or less, defining them as hypoferritinemia. The multivariate logistic regression model revealed that a shorter duration of the athletic experience (adjusted odd ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.62 [0.43–0.90]), lower energy intake (0.994 [0.989–0.999]), and higher dietary iron intake (4.40 [1.12–17.26]) were associated with hypoferritinemia. Seventeen (50%) female athletes reported a decline in subjective performance during menstruation, albeit two took LEP regularly. Conclusions This study reveals that ID is a prevalent health concern among young female athletes across sports clubs. It underscores the need for their education on the importance of assessing ID status. Limitation includes the nature of single-site and observational study, the absence of hepcidin measurement, and an unspecified amount of exercise. Comprehensive investigations are needed to elucidate the causes and optimal treatments for ID in young athletes.

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Menstrual blood losses and body mass index are associated with serum ferritin concentrations among female varsity athletes

Cited by 5 publications

References 46 publications

Dietary Iron and the Elite Dancer

Dietary Iron and the Elite Dancer

Editorial: Should BMI be Reported in a Paper’s Abstract?

Prevalence of iron-deficient but non-anemic university athletes in Japan: an observational cohort study

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