Dietary iron intervention using a staple food product for improvement of iron status in female runners (Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition)

Background: Adequate nutrient intake is critically important for achieving optimal sports performance. Like all athletes, female runners require a nutritionally balanced diet to maintain daily activities and a successful training regime. This study investigates the effects of cereal product based dietary iron intervention on iron status of recreational female runners (n?=?11; 32???7yr; 239???153 minutes exercise/week, of which 161???150 minutes running activity/week; VO2max 38???4 ml/kg/min). Methods: Participants completed a 6-week dietary intervention study. They were asked to replace their usual bread with iron-rich Teff bread as part of their daily diet. During this period, their dietary habits were assessed by multiple pass 24-hr recalls; iron status was determined by venous blood analysis for serum transferrin, serum transferrin receptor, serum ferritin, total iron-binding capacity and transferrin receptor/ferritin log index. Results: Pre-intervention a cohort of 11 female runners reported inadequate daily dietary iron intake of 10.7???2.7 mg/day, which was associated with overall compromised iron status. Over a third of all participants showed depleted bodily iron stores (serum ferritin