Effects of iron deficiency on endurance and muscle enzyme activity in man

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of iron deficiency on enzyme activities and endurance. Iron deficiency was induced in 9 healthy male subjects by repeated venesections. After a period of 9 wk (range, 8-11 wk) when the subjects had become iron deficient as defined by labor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medicine and science in sports and exercise 1986-04, Vol.18 (2), p.156-161
Main Authors: Celsing, F, Blomstrand, E, Werner, B, Pihlstedt, P, Ekblom, B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anemia, Hypochromic - blood
Anemia, Hypochromic - physiopathology
Blood Transfusion, Autologous
Capillaries - anatomy & histology
Erythrocyte Transfusion
Hemoglobins - metabolism
Humans
Iron - deficiency
Lactates - blood
Lactic Acid
Male
Muscles - blood supply
Muscles - enzymology
Oxygen Consumption
Physical Endurance
Space life sciences
Time Factors
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Summary:The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of iron deficiency on enzyme activities and endurance. Iron deficiency was induced in 9 healthy male subjects by repeated venesections. After a period of 9 wk (range, 8-11 wk) when the subjects had become iron deficient as defined by laboratory parameters, blood was retransfused to reestablish the control hemoglobin concentration. In this state it was possible to evaluate the effect of iron deficiency isolated from anemia. In samples secured by muscle biopsies, glycolytic, oxidative, and iron depending enzymes were analyzed in the control (C) and anemic (A) states and after retransfusion (R). There were no significant changes in the maximal activities of any of the enzymes studied. The capillary/fiber ratio remained unchanged between C (1.92) and R (1.94). Times to exhaustion on treadmill tests were 49 min, 11 s in C, 26 min, 33 s in A, and 52 min, 3 s in R. Vo2max was 4.55 1 X min-1 in C, 3.74 1 X min-1 in A, and 4.45 1 X min-1 in R. An artificially induced iron deficiency defined by conventional laboratory parameters did not affect endurance when transfusion of red blood cells was performed in order to exclude the influence of a low hemoglobin concentration. A 4-wk period of severely depleted or absent tissue iron stores did not affect the maximal activities of various enzymes in human skeletal muscle.
ISSN:0195-9131
DOI:10.1249/00005768-198604000-00002