Medichecks JD Gyms PT Handbook

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Iron Status Fatigue Breathlessness Dizziness What do we test? • Iron levels. Iron is necessary to help your blood bind oxygen. • We look at four different things: • Serum iron (very variable based on what you’ve just eaten) • Transferrin saturation • Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) • Ferritin (iron storage - most useful) What are we looking for? The interplay between iron markers can be complicated so it’s often useful to look at the advice we’ve written to your client rather than the numbers. Essentially there are three camps of people: 1) Normal results 2) Low iron a. Can affect athletic performance b. Can cause anaemia – this will warrant a GP referral 3) High iron a. Can be caused by over-supplementation b. Can be toxic if too high – this will warrant a GP referral How does it help me? Athletic optimisation Low Iron Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional disorder. It is almost always due to poor intake of iron, rather than another medical condition. It is especially common in women who are still menstruating as iron is depleted through monthly blood loss. You should be able to obtain all your iron through your diet. Often the people who struggle the most are vegetarians and vegans, as they’re missing out on the iron in meat although they should get enough if they eat lots of vegetables and pulses. Other people include endurance athletes and people who train hard and often. 10
Having low iron can eventually lead to anaemia which can lead to symptoms of tiredness and fatigue. However, before things get that bad some athletes will notice their performance begin to drop off. Therefore, in order to optimise performance iron levels should be healthy. You can work with your clients to help them improve their diet and increase their iron levels. We do not recommend over-supplementation of iron, however, as high iron levels are toxic. Supplements can also cause unpleasant side-effects which can be detrimental to performance. Take home message Encourage iron in the diet and aim for a ferritin over 50 but below 150 ug/L. Having healthy iron levels will help to optimise performance. 11
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Page 5 and 6: Results driven training: Fatty Live
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Page 13 and 14: Vitamin D Fatigue Mood Bone strengt
Page 15 and 16: Kidney Function Dehydration Fatigue
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Medichecks JD Gyms PT Handbook

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