[Iron intake and pharmacologic supplements in medium and long-distance runners]

To assess in a group of female runners the iron uptake and pharmacological supplementation, plus the variation induced in haematological values and iron deposits.

The total and haeme Fe uptake as well as the blood parameters were studied in a group of 25 female median and long distance runners and in a control group comprised of 82 women with no sport activities. Eleven of the runners had usually been on pharmacologic iron supplementation. All of the subjects completed a diet regimen for 7 days controlled by means of food weighing.

Total Fe ingestion was significantly higher in the runners (13.6 mg/day) than in the control group (11.3 mg/day (p < 0.01), although the minimum established by the Diet Recommendations was reached by neither group. The ingestion of haeme-Fe was higher in non-supplemented runners (1.64 mg/day) with regard to those on iron supplementation (1.39 mg/day) and the women of the control group (1.34 mg/day). Serum ferritin levels were also higher in non-supplemented runners (38.1 ng/mL), with lowest values in the runners receiving iron supplement (29.7 ng/mL).

Serum ferritin levels in female runners appear to be related with the ingestion of haeme-Fe rather than with total iron ingestion. On the other hand, the pharmacologic iron supplementation given here appears inadequate for most of the runners studied.