What about iron? (Read 666 times)

I normally take a womens formula multi without iron since I am post-menopausal. Recently I've been told that since I'm an endurance athlete I probably should be taking a multi with iron since the iron helps the blood deliver the oxygen to the muscles. I'll talk to the doc about that next time I'm in, but in the meantime, what do you think? My last hemocrit test put me smack in the middle of the normal range. Rose Personally, I tend to think the person who told me this is trying to fit all athletes into the same formula and I suspect that she thinks I'm much younger than I really am.

My last hemocrit test put me smack in the middle of the normal range.

I'm no doctor, but I am not sure if a hematocrit would really reveal iron deficiency. I'm not certain, but it might be possible that your body would still produce RBCs with less iron-containing hemoglobin. It is probably a good idea to talk to someone who is really qualified on the subject though, such as your doctor. Personally, I am not a big fan of supplements. I believe that you can get everything you need from an excellent diet filled with fruits and vegetables. Maybe you have to ask yourself what the risks are of increasing iron consumption and how the endurance-related benefits might outweigh the risks.

As a guy, I take a multi with iron and see a difference with it, so she might be right. If you've been logging everything, then you might be okay until you add another workout or two a week.

I didn't think men were supposed to take an iron supplement as part of daily routine (unless diagnosed with an iron deficient disorder/disease). Anyone care to help me out with clarification? Need to do some research.