Eleven Weeks of Iron Supplementation Does Not Maintain Iron Status for an Entire Competitive Season in Elite Female Volleyball Players: A Follow-Up Study.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine if the benefits of iron supplementation on iron stores and strength performance were maintained in elite female volleyball players for 18 weeks after stopping supplementation.
Results Summary
Iron supplementation initially maintained iron status and improved strength performance, but these benefits were not sustained 18 weeks after cessation. The control group showed a decline in iron markers during the same period.
Population
Elite female volleyball players (age: 27.0 ± 5.6 years).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
11 weeks of supplementation, followed by 18 weeks of observation.
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
iron supplementation | no change | iron status | elite female volleyball players | - | maintained | #1 |
iron supplementation | no change | strength performance | elite female volleyball players | - | maintained | #2 |
iron supplementation | no change | serum iron (sFE) | iron treatment group (ITG) | - | maintained | #3 |
iron supplementation | no change | serum ferritin (FER) | iron treatment group (ITG) | - | maintained | #4 |
iron supplementation | no change | transferrin saturation index (TSI) | iron treatment group (ITG) | - | maintained | #5 |
iron supplementation | no change | hemoglobin (Hb) | iron treatment group (ITG) | - | maintained | #6 |
- | decrease | serum iron (sFE), serum ferritin (FER), transferrin saturation index (TSI), and hemoglobin (Hb) | control group (CG) | - | showed a decrease | #7 |
iron supplementation | increase | strength performance | iron treatment group (ITG) | - | experienced greater | #8 |
iron supplementation | decrease | benefits | elite female volleyballers | - | were not sustained | #9 |
BACKGROUND: Even though iron supplementation can be effective, it is necessary to be cautious of toxicity and aim to do no harm, therefore, it is important to examine the length of time the benefits of iron supplementation can be maintained following its cessation. The main purpose of this study was to analyze if iron stores and strength performance were maintained in elite female volleyball players for the final 18 weeks of a competitive season following the cessation of 11 weeks of iron supplementation. METHODS: Twenty-two volleyballers (age: 27.0 ± 5.6 years.) were assigned to two groups (iron treatment group-ITG, RESULTS: At the end of the previous trial (T11), ITG maintained iron status as measured by hematological parameters (serum iron-sFE, serum ferritin-FER, transferrin saturation index-TSI, and hemogloblin-Hb), however, CG showed a decrease in these markers at T11. Further, from T0 to T11 ITG experienced greater ( CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the benefits of iron supplementation are not sustained in elite female volleyballers if supplementation is ceased for 18 weeks.