Fit and Female: Women athletes and anemia
October 1, 2009 by Andie Bernard
Filed under Fitness, Inside You
I never thought it could happen to me. Iron deficiency. Anemia.
I’m a healthy eater. I even eat red meat, and I’ve been racing at an intense level since middle school without ever having the fatigue symptoms that I did this triathlon season. What was wrong with me? Was I over-training?
I seriously considered taking a nap or just sitting on the couch instead of one of my training sessions, but I shrugged off the fatigue to the fact that I was training harder than usual. I kept going and going. Until one day, I hit the wall.
During one of my training sessions, I could barely hit my track-time intervals and my fatigue was overwhelming. I knew something was really wrong.
I finally took the advice of a good friend and local pro-marathon runner who was diagnosed with anemia herself, and I went to the doctor and get blood work. My results revealed total iron stores of 30 — nearly two-thirds below what is needed for competitive female athletes. I had been experiencing all of the symptoms of anemia, but I had no idea that it could be coming from too few red blood cells and hemoglobin in my blood.
Now it made sense why I had extreme exhaustion that wouldn’t go away, even after easy or recovery days; loss of strength and endurance in my workouts; reduced performance in my races; and numbness on the tips of my fingers.
What exactly is iron deficiency and how did I get it?
Anemia is America’s most common blood disorder, affecting 3.4 million Americans and as many as one-third of all female athletes. Anemia is so prominent among women athletes — especially distance runners — possibly due to the accelerated destruction of red blood cells, muscle injuries, loss of iron through sweat, and insufficient time in between training sessions to reabsorb iron.
So how much iron do female endurance athletes need?
Because women lose iron through menstruation, they need 15 milligrams of iron a day. The typical American diet provides 5 to 6 milligrams of iron for every 1,000 calories consumed. The typical woman eats fewer than 2,000 calories a day, so it can be difficult for them to meet their iron needs without supplements.
However, seek medical guidance before starting new supplements, because some contain more than the recommended daily allowance. Too much iron can also be bad — even toxic — and lead to zinc and copper deficiency.
The lesson learned is to listen to your body. If you have symptoms of anemia, go to your doctor immediately and get tested.
On the Web
The National Anemia Action Council — www.anemia.org
— By Andie Bernard
Bernard, of Boulder, is the director and head coach of Tri Babes Training, www.tribabestraining.org. Send your fitness questions to coachandie@gmail.com.
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