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Dietary Iron and the Elite Dancer.

Nutrients
January 1, 1970
Caitlin Attwell et al. (6 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to explore the causal factors of iron deficiency (ID) in dancers and potential treatment strategies, including optimizing absorption from oral iron supplementation.

Results Summary

The study highlights that dancers are at high risk of ID due to low energy availability (LEA) and dietary restrictions, which can lead to fatigue and reduced performance. It suggests that oral iron supplementation could help mitigate these effects, though specific efficacy data are not detailed.

Population

Dancers, particularly those at risk of low energy availability and iron deficiency.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (10)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
dietary restriction
decrease
physique goals
dancers
-
utilised to meet physique goals
#1
low energy availability (LEA)
decrease
nutrient intake
dancers
-
impacts
#2
low energy availability (LEA)
increase
iron deficiency (ID)
dancers
-
results in
#3
low energy diet
decrease
mineral content
-
-
reduced mineral content
#4
iron deficiency (ID)
increase
fatigue
-
-
results in
#5
iron deficiency (ID)
decrease
reduced aerobic work capacity
-
-
results in
#6
iron deficiency (ID)
increase
iron deficient anaemia (IDA)
-
-
ultimately becomes
#7
iron deficient anaemia (IDA)
decrease
dancer's capacity
dancers
-
detrimental to
#8
oral iron supplementation regime
increase
absorption
dancers
-
to optimise absorption
#9
oral iron supplementation regime
increase
health and performance
dancers
-
to adequately support
#10
Abstract

Dancers are an athlete population at high risk of developing iron deficiency (ID). The aesthetic nature of the discipline means dancers potentially utilise dietary restriction to meet physique goals. In combination with high training demands, this means dancers are susceptible to problems related to low energy availability (LEA), which impacts nutrient intake. In the presence of LEA, ID is common because of a reduced mineral content within the low energy diet. Left untreated, ID becomes an issue that results in fatigue, reduced aerobic work capacity, and ultimately, iron deficient anaemia (IDA). Such progression can be detrimental to a dancer's capacity given the physically demanding nature of training, rehearsal, and performances. Previous literature has focused on the manifestation and treatment of ID primarily in the context of endurance athletes; however, a dance-specific context addressing the interplay between dance training and performance, LEA and ID is essential for practitioners working in this space. By consolidating findings from identified studies of dancers and other relevant athlete groups, this review explores causal factors of ID and potential treatment strategies for dancers to optimise absorption from an oral iron supplementation regime to adequately support health and performance.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AthletesDancingEnergy IntakeHumansIronIron, Dietary
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations4
Citations/Year1.3
Relative Citation Ratio0.73
NIH Percentile38.8%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score1.55
Normalized Score0.66
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