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Oral iron treatment has a positive effect on iron metabolism in elite soccer players.

Biological trace element research
September 1, 2011
Jesús Villanueva et al. (6 authors)
Clinical TrialJournal ArticleHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to assess the effects of oral iron supplementation on hematological and iron metabolism parameters in elite soccer players.

Results Summary

Iron supplementation (80 mg/day for 3 weeks) significantly increased serum iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation, hematocrit, and mean corpuscular volume in elite soccer players compared to the control group. A higher percentage of supplemented players had ferritin levels above upper limits, while the control group had more instances of ferritin below lower limits.

Population

Elite soccer players (Spanish Premier League and Third Division League teams).

Effective Dosage

80 mg/day

Duration

3 weeks

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (12)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
oral iron supplementation of 80 mg day(-1) for 3 weeks
increase
serum iron (SI)
group A (GA, n=24; Spanish Premier League soccer players)
P<0.05
showed an increase
#1
oral iron supplementation of 80 mg day(-1) for 3 weeks
increase
serum ferritin (Ftn)
group A (GA, n=24; Spanish Premier League soccer players)
P<0.01
showed an increase
#2
oral iron supplementation of 80 mg day(-1) for 3 weeks
increase
transferrin saturation (Sat)
group A (GA, n=24; Spanish Premier League soccer players)
P<0.01
showed an increase
#3
oral iron supplementation of 80 mg day(-1) for 3 weeks
increase
hematocrit
group A (GA, n=24; Spanish Premier League soccer players) compared to group B (GB, n=11; Spanish Third Division League soccer players)
P<0.01
showed higher values
#4
oral iron supplementation of 80 mg day(-1) for 3 weeks
increase
mean corpuscular volume
group A (GA, n=24; Spanish Premier League soccer players) compared to group B (GB, n=11; Spanish Third Division League soccer players)
P<0.01
showed higher values
#5
oral iron supplementation of 80 mg day(-1) for 3 weeks
increase
serum ferritin (Ftn)
group A (GA, n=24; Spanish Premier League soccer players) compared to group B (GB, n=11; Spanish Third Division League soccer players)
P<0.01
showed higher values
#6
oral iron supplementation of 80 mg day(-1) for 3 weeks
increase
transferrin saturation (Sat)
group A (GA, n=24; Spanish Premier League soccer players) compared to group B (GB, n=11; Spanish Third Division League soccer players)
P<0.01
showed higher values
#7
oral iron supplementation of 80 mg day(-1) for 3 weeks
no change
any other parameters
group A (GA, n=24; Spanish Premier League soccer players) compared to group B (GB, n=11; Spanish Third Division League soccer players)
no significant change
No significant differences were found
#8
oral iron supplementation of 80 mg day(-1) for 3 weeks
increase
Ftn levels above upper limits
group A (GA, n=24; Spanish Premier League soccer players) vs. group B (GB, n=11; Spanish Third Division League soccer players)
P<0.05
a higher percentage of players had
#9
oral iron supplementation of 80 mg day(-1) for 3 weeks
decrease
Ftn below lower limits
group B (GB, n=11; Spanish Third Division League soccer players) with respect to subjects in group A (GA, n=24; Spanish Premier League soccer players)
P<0.01
had a higher incidence of
#10
oral iron supplementation of 80 mg day(-1) for 3 weeks
increase
SI
group A (GA, n=24; Spanish Premier League soccer players) after treatment
58.3%
58.3% of GA had >800 mg of
#11
no supplementation
decrease
SI
group B (GB, n=11; Spanish Third Division League soccer players)
all players
all players presented levels below the lower limits
#12
Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of oral iron supplementation on hematological and iron metabolism in elite soccer players. Thirty-five members of the Real Zaragoza SAD soccer team took part in this study: group A (GA, n = 24; Spanish Premier League) took an oral iron supplement of 80 mg day(-1) for 3 weeks, and group B (GB, n = 11; Spanish Third Division League) did not receive any supplementation. In GA, the parameters were measured before and after giving the iron supplements, while in GB, measurements were only made at the time of collecting the second set of data from GA. After supplementation, GA showed an increase in serum iron (SI) (P < 0.05), serum ferritin (Ftn) (P < 0.01), and transferrin saturation (Sat) (P < 0.01) with respect to the basal values. In addition, GA showed higher values of hematocrit (P < 0.01), mean corpuscular volume (P < 0.01), Ftn (P < 0.01), and Sat (P < 0.01) than GB. No significant differences were found in any other parameters. More specifically, a higher percentage of players had Ftn levels above upper limits in GA vs. GB (P < 0.05), and GB had a higher incidence of Ftn below lower limits with respect to subjects in GA (P < 0.01). Further, after treatment, 58.3% of GA had >800 mg of SI, while all players in GB presented levels below the lower limits. In conclusion, iron supplementation with 80 mg·day(-1) for 3 weeks, before the start of the soccer season, can be recommended for elite soccer players.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdolescentAdultDietary SupplementsFerritinsHumansIronMaleSoccerYoung Adult
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations7
Citations/Year0.5
Relative Citation Ratio0.32
NIH Percentile17%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.25
Weight Score1.19
Normalized Score0.69
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Oral iron treatment has a positive effect on iron metabolism... | Panacea Index