NUTRITION REPLENISHING STORES When an athlete does have blood work showing that he or she is suffering from iron depletion or iron deficiency anemia, supplemental iron is usually needed. Because of the risk of iron overload, supplemental iron should only be given under a physician’s care and with warranting blood work. An athlete who is prescribed supplemental iron will need to choose among a variety of forms. Most athletes with iron deficiency can tolerate ferrous sulfate, the most common form of iron supplements. One tablet per day (containing 35-60 mg of elemental iron) should be used for iron depletion and two tablets per day (one in the morning and one at night) for iron deficiency anemia. Some athletes experience gastrointestinal upset with supplements. Nausea, cramping, constipation, dark stool, and diarrhea are typical complaints. To minimize these side effects, have the athlete start by taking one tablet per day and build up to two. He or she should take the iron with food (preferably food low in phytates and calcium and high in Vitamin C) and take it right before bed.
For athletes who cannot tolerate ferrous sulfate, time-released iron supplements or supplements containing small amounts of laxative or Vitamin C may work. Liquid iron supplements are a popular choice, especially among runners. They can be mixed into orange juice, which adds Vitamin C. Athletes should be advised to brush their teeth after taking liquid iron supplements since the iron can stain teeth. Once an athlete begins treatment, hematocrit and hemoglobin will respond to the supplemental iron after about two weeks. It may take up to 12 months to fully replete iron stores. The athlete should be re-tested in three months. If improvements have not been made in lab values and symptoms by this point, a further medical and nutritional evaluation is warranted. ROUTINE SCREENING Another way of protecting your athletes against iron deficiency is to set up a standard testing protocol within your athletic department. Routine screening, especially of athletes at risk for iron deficiency, is tremendously beneficial since wait-
ing until symptoms become significant enough to detect can be very costly in terms of performance. The longer the deficiency exists, the more severe the symptoms, and the longer the wait to return to optimal performance. The cost of iron screening is not nearly as prohibitive as many think. A complete blood count (CBC), which includes hemoglobin and hematocrit, generally costs between $30 and $35. Ferritin evaluation costs $20 to $25 per test. Some labs offer discount prices for groups of athletes. It’s easy to argue that this nominal price is well worth it. Many college programs already screen female endurance athletes, but we believe there is evidence to support broadening this to include all female athletes and male endurance athletes. At Florida, we expanded our screening to include all three groups, and the number of deficiencies we uncovered was significant. Many sports medicine staff members, coaches, and athletes felt that the attention we paid to our athletes’ iron status was a very important factor in their success both on the field and in the classroom. â–
Smart-Cart
Training System
•
Innovative, fun and effective training
•
Train 60 athletes per session
•
Makes storage and transport easy
Train the pro’s, the high school team, or rehabilitate injuries. The Smart- Cart Training System is something you’ll want to learn more about.
Ă€iĂƒĂŒÂœĂ€iĂƒĂŠyĂŠĂ•Âˆ`ĂƒĂŠEĂŠiÂ?iVĂŒĂ€ÂœÂ?ĂžĂŒiĂƒ ÂŤĂ€iĂ›iÂ˜ĂŒĂƒĂŠEĂŠVÂœĂ€Ă€iVĂŒĂƒĂŠ `iÂ…Ăž`Ă€>ĂŒÂˆÂœÂ˜
TRAINING & FIELD EQUIPMENT EXPERTS
ÂˆÂ“ÂŤĂ€ÂœĂ›iĂƒĂŠi˜`Ă•Ă€>˜Vi
beaconathletics.com
"ĂŠVĂ€>Â“ÂŤÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠÂœĂ€ĂŠÂ˜>Ă•Ăƒi> Ă•Â˜Â?ˆŽiĂŠÂ“ÂœĂƒĂŒĂŠĂƒÂŤÂœĂ€ĂŒĂƒĂŠ`Ă€ÂˆÂ˜ÂŽĂƒ
$&3"41035 $0. Circle No. 116 ATHLETICBID.COM
Visit us online or call anytime! &-&$530-: 5& ):%3 "5*0/ %3*/,
[800] 747-5985 Circle No. 117
T&C NOVEMBER 2005
25