When you run, do your legs feel heavy? Are you tired from the start? This may be a sign that you are suffering from low iron. Runners are very susceptible to low iron levels, and thus need to monitor levels more frequently than those that do not run.
Iron is they key component need to make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is used to help flow oxygen from the lungs to the muscles. Now the next thing you are probably wondering is why do runners tend to have low iron?
There are five factors that explain why runners need more iron than others. Let’s take a look at each of them separately.
- First, is that athletes have more blood than normal people, which allows the heart to increase. This then dilutes the iron with more blood. However, if not enough red blood cells increase to accommodate this blood, then the hemoglobin concentration decreases, which causes low iron.
- The next reason is our diet. We eat a high number of carbs and some of us, though not all, eat little to no red meat. If we don't consume red meat at least once a week, we could be setting ourselves up for low iron.This happens because red meat has a thing called heme iron which the body absorbs easier than if it is from plants.
- This next factor doesn't affect many unless you are running a number of miles on a hard surface. Foot strike hemolysis is a condition where every time your foot hits the ground, red blood cells break down.
- Little is known about the following, though they know it does play a role in the iron loss process. When we urine and sweat, iron is lost. So, when we train in the humid and hot conditions for miles and miles a day, we are losing iron.
- Lastly, involves the GI track. Though it may not be evident, and certainly does not affect all runners, after a long, strenuous run, and especially races, there may be blood in your stools. This means that you are losing blood, which is lowering iron levels.
There are signs that your iron may be low, but only a blood test can truly confirm your suspicions. Either way, to prevent this or to cure it, eat red meat a few times a week, don't drink tea or coffee because this slows the absorption process and does not allow your body to take it all in, eat or drink foods with high vitamin C to help increase iron absorption, and cook with cast-iron cookware especially when cooking acidy foods.
Thankfully, I don't think this has ever happened to me, or at least I haven't had visible symptoms. Hopefully you don't experience this because it will affect your running. Have a great day!
More info and pictures: http://pfitzinger.com/labreports/iron.shtml
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