Twelve weeks of endurance exercise training does not affect iron status measures in women

Objective This study examined the effects of 12 weeks of endurance exercise training on iron status measures in previously inactive women and compared the effects of weight-bearing endurance exercise training and non-weight-bearing endurance exercise on iron status measures. Design Randomized, experimental study. Subjects Thirty-one healthy, inactive women (aged 23 to 43 years) with apparently normal iron stores (serum ferritin concentration greater than or equal to 20 mu g/L) were recruited from the local area by newspaper advertisements and campus mailings. Twenty-one subjects completed the study (mean+/-standard deviation for age=32+/-5 years, for body mass index=23.1+/-4.9, and for maximum oxygen consumption [VO(2)max]=33.8+/-6.3 mL/kg per minute). Intervention Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: an inactive control group, a walking/running group, or a cycling group. Subjects in the two exercise groups trained three to four times per week at 80% VO(2)max for 12 weeks. Exercise training sessions were monitored and energy expenditure increased from 150 kcal per session (week 1) to 375 kcal per session (weeks 9 to 12). Subjects in the inactive control group were instructed to maintain their normal activity patterns for the duration of the study. All subjects were instructed to maintain their normal dietary habits. Main outcome measures Serum ferritin concentration, serum iron concentration, percentage saturation of transferrin, total iron-binding capacity, serum haptoglobin concentration, and other selected hematologic variables were measured at baseline and at weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12. Statistical analyses Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine group x time interactions in changes in iron status measures. Statistical significance nas reached at P<.05. Results Analysis of valiance indicated that serum ferritin concentration did nut change significantly (P=.59) during the 12 weeks in the walking/running group (mean+/-standard deviation from 41.28+/-14.22 to 27.31+/-9.74 mu g/L) or the cycling group (from 65.81+/-37.62 to 41.06+/-26.38 mu g/L) compared with the control group (from 47.55+/-15.87 to 31.56+/-10.57 mu g/L). Values for serum iron, total iron-binding capacity, percentage saturation of transferrin, and haptoglobin also did not change significantly (P>.30) in the walking/running or cycling groups compared with the control group. Applications/conclusions Results of this study suggest that participation in 12 weeks of moderate-intensity endurance exercise training (walking/running or cycling) is not associated with negative effects on selected measures of iron status in healthy, previously untrained women with normal iron stores (serum ferritin greater than or equal to 20 mu g/L).