Iron assessment in elite athletes

Asymptomatic iron deficiency is frequently observed in competitive athletes and an impaired iron metabolism may lead to abnormal haemoglobin and myoglobin production limiting endurance capacity. Iron supplementation could improve blood biochemical measures and increases work capacity but the use of iron supplements should be a judicious choice based on a careful hematological evaluation since an unjustified treatment may lead to possible health risks as well as performance decrease. When considering competitive athletes, serum ferritine, commonly used to evaluate iron status, may not be always considered as an effective marker. Several studies suggested that hepcidin assessment may represent an alternative method to define the real necessity of iron supplementation in specific conditions such as in competitive athletes.