Lebo Phalula was at the top of her game, when suddenly she was not. The 27-year-old long distance runner had competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics where she represented South Africa in the marathon. She completed her gruelling 42,2km race in tough conditions but came home victorious – she was an Olympian!
Once back home, she resumed her training schedule only to discover that running even 5km seemed impossible. “My legs felt heavy and I was out of breath, I just could not get going,” she says. She was forced to take a nine-month break when she discovered she was pregnant, and, while she loved the time bonding with her newborn baby, her mind was always on making her return to running. When she finally did, she could not understand why she just was not feeling her best. Eventually a blood test revealed she had iron deficiency anaemia (IDA), a condition that affects 15% of women aged 15-50 worldwide, and up to a staggering 50% of women in South Africa, according to the World Health Organisation.
“I was always fit and healthy, so this came out of the blue,” says Lebo.
Despite a long list of symptoms, including dizziness, headache, feeling faint, brittle nails and insomnia, it might be the seemingly fittest women who are most at risk of being anaemic.
Why do we become iron deficient?
Our bodies cannot produce iron, we have to absorb it from the foods we eat. The average person will eat 10-20mg of iron per day but of that only 1-2 mg are absorbed. “There is a perfect balance between how much iron we absorb and iron loss. Iron is lost through the gastro intestinal tract, urine, and perspiration and, in females, through menstruation. In a perfect world there is a careful balance, but it is when we lose too much, or conversely take in too much that things go awry.
The body can compensate to a certain extent, but there is a limit to that, obviously,” advises specialist sports physician Dr Jarrad van Zuydam, who is based in Johannesburg. So even though we need only tiny amounts of iron, getting the balance right can be tricky.
Iron deficiency (ID) occurs when your natural iron stores are unusually low, but you still have enough haemoglobin, so you’re not technically anaemic. The results of iron deficiency include being fatigued, feeling dizzy, poor concentration and insomnia. “Because iron is an important building block in the body, it can impact the immune system and muscle growth, so female athletes are particularly at risk,” says Dr van Zuydam.
How to combat an iron deficiency
There is no one-size-fits all solution. Factors to consider include age, lifestyle, and eating and exercise habits. A diet including iron-rich foods should be addressed, as well as what you eat with them, how you eat it, your gut health and other lifestyle factors.
What to eat to boost iron intake
While eating more meat is the most obvious way to get more iron into your diet, with the rise of vegetarianism and veganism, this route will not work for everyone. Other ways to boost your iron include:
- Consuming plenty of green leafy vegetables, lentils and pulses.
- Checking your vitamin C intake – it helps your body absorb iron, so include orange juice, berries, kiwi fruit, tomato or broccoli with your meal to help make the most of your iron
- Watch your food combos – calcium and tannins among other food combinations are known inhibitors of iron absorption.
- Limit coffee and tea to between meals - caffeine also inhibits iron absorption, so drink coffee and tea between meals instead of with them
- Snack on iron-rich foods like dried fruit and nuts.
On-the-go iron
If you’re constantly on the run (who isn’t?) and finding it hard to include adequate iron into your diet, it is also available in supplement form. While iron supplements have had a reputation in the past for causing side effects like constipation, there are now supplements available that taste great and have been formulated to be gentle on the stomach.
What to do if you think you may have an iron deficiency
Consult your doctor. They’ll do a blood test to look at your iron stores, and discuss options to increase your levels, including making changes to your diet, or introducing an appropriate iron supplement. “It’s important to get your doctor’s advice on the type of supplement that will work best for you, and how much to take, as too much iron in your diet can be harmful,” concludes Dr van Zuydam.
Did you know?
The difference between aneamia and iron deficiency:
Iron deficiency causes aneamia, but is not the only cause of aneamia. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of aneamia and also the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide.
Who is at risk?
- Menstruating women •Children
- Teenagers
- Strict vegetarians
- Blood donors
- The elderly on a “tea and toast” diet
- Female endurance athletes
IMAGE CREDIT: 123rf.com