Kim Vivian BSc ND
We've looked at the importance of consuming particular carbohydrates, proteins and fats in specific proportions depending on what segment of your training or race day you're concentrating on. You may think that this is all the information that is required to optimize your performance as far as nutrition is concerned. You'd be surprised to find that, as an athlete, there are real benefits to include certain vitamins and minerals in your daily regime.

This is the first in a series of articles that will look at individual vitamins and minerals. The articles will help you better understand what purpose they serve in your general health and how deficiencies can potentially have a major impact on your general overall health and well being as well as your race performance.

There is one mineral in particular that we, as women, need to be aware of. The mineral I'm referring to is iron. Women are far more susceptible to iron deficiency and anemia than men, due to the loss of iron every month with their menstrual cycle.

Where is this mineral found and what function does it have in the body?

Although mainly found in hemoglobin, iron is also found in myoglobin in the skeletal muscles and the heart and is used as an enzyme for a number of functions in the body, ie. to break down food for energy. Hemoglobin is the component in the red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body. How does this function affect the athlete? Oxygen is needed in the last step of the process to convert food to energy, known as Krebs cycle or the citric acid cycle. If there is a deficiency of iron, there will be a decrease in the amount of oxygen available to the cells and therefore, limited oxygen will produce limited energy.

Endurance athletes are more susceptible to potential deficiencies due to the additional energy required during training and racing and as such need to be diligent in consuming foods high in iron. So, where can you find iron in your diet? There are two forms of iron found in food, heme, which is more easily absorbed (excellent sources include red meats, fish and poultry) and non-heme (found in plants and include green vegetables, blackstrap molasses, beans, whole grains, fortified cereals and dried fruit). As non-heme sources are less absorbable, it is even more important for vegetarian and vegan athletes to be diligent in including iron rich foods in their daily diet. The RDA of iron for women is between 15-20 mg/day, for pregnant women it is 30 mg/day. Absorption of non-heme sources can be increased by combining them with heme sources. Taking vitamin C with iron will also increase absorption, while consuming food and drink that contain tannic acids, ie. coffee, black tea, chocolate, colas and red wines, decrease its absorption.

Iron deficient individuals may have difficulty in finding the energy to get through a regular day, let alone finding the resources for exercise or training. Symptoms of iron deficiency may include fatigue, pale skin, intolerance to cold, dizziness and irritability. If you believe you may be iron deficient or anemic, the quickest and most efficient way to find out is through a blood test. If that is the case, consuming iron rich foods and/or taking an iron supplement will be beneficial. Speak to your health practitioner to discuss what are the best forms of iron for you. There are some disorders that involve an excess of iron storage and consuming more iron could make these conditions worse. As such, check with a health practitioner before you begin supplementing additional iron into your diet.

Vitamins and minerals play very important roles in our general overall health and as such, it's very important to eat a well balanced, nutritious diet daily. When additional stress is placed on the body, such as when training and racing in triathlons, it may be necessary to supplement to provide your body with the additional resources it needs to run as efficiently and effectively as possible.

So remember, have fun, eat well and make the race count! If you have any suggestions for future topics send them to Kim at kvnd@care2.com. If you have missed Kim's previous articles, you can find them at http://www.womenstriathlon.com/tri/