Iron (Fe) makes up much of our Earth's core, is responsible for rusty metal, and even a few iron man = “Fe” male jokes, but what does it actually have to do with exercise?
In the body iron plays a critical role for transporting oxygen in red blood cells and producing energy in your muscles. However, many female cardio-lovers and endurance athletes are iron deficient (i.e. anaemic) and experience symptoms such as fatigue, increased effort, poor mood and concentration!
Exercise itself and post-activity inflammation can “use up” and prevent us from immediately replacing some of our iron stores. This might be particularly relevant for cardio workouts due to the long training sessions -and sweat production- associated with these activities. However, estrogen and progesterone levels, and just getting your period also appear to be important factors for our iron regulation- you can say goodbye to ~1 mg of iron per day during menstruation.
Estrogen is thought to help us “restock” our iron supplies while progesterone limits iron availability. The increase in progesterone and inflammation in Phase Four limits our iron utilization abilities. Don’t worry! You can still get oxygen to your muscles during this phase. It’s just worth noting that if you are low on iron, you might feel the effects a bit more during Phase Four of your cycle.
If you are training for your next endurance event or even just looking to jump on that cardio bandwagon, you might want to consider your iron intake. Since iron cannot be produced by the body itself, we need to get our iron from the foods we eat. Looking to increase your iron stores? Consider trying iron rich foods like red meat or dark green leafy vegetables or even food that helps you absorb the iron already in your diet —like vitamin C rich oranges !
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Science, Feminism and Love.
Badenhorst CE, Goto K, O'Brien WJ, Sims S. Iron status in athletic females, a shift in perspective on an old paradigm. J Sports Sci. 2021 Jul;39(14):1565-1575.
