Dietitians cast iron deficiency questions at gym enthusiasts
01/10/2015
In a study published recently in a specialist journal, dietitians said 60% of women athletes are “depleted” in iron, which is the first stage in developing an iron deficiency, while 33% already have such low reserves of iron that they run the risk of developing anemia as well as falling short of achieving their peak athletic performance.
One of the dietitians involved in the study, Dr Carrie Ruxton, told the Daily Mail newspaper that she recommends that patients increase the amount of red meat they eat. Health authorities in the UK recommend 70 grammes of red meat daily, but Dr Ruxton says women are, on average, eating only 56 grammes.
The dietitians’ study comes on the back of data released last year from the most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey in the UK, which revealed that 46% of girls and 23% of women in the UK have low iron intakes.
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