Effect of Exercise on Iron Metabolism

Exercise induces a low iron status similar to the clinically defined iron deficiency, the mechanism of which are not determined yet.There are some proposed hypotheses that exercise-induced low iron status is due to iron deficiency and thus athletes should be supplemented by iron.There are also some proposed hypotheses that exercise-induced low iron status results from the physiological regulation and thus iron supplementation is harmful to the athletes because of toxic free iron.Recently,the mechanisms of iron absorption in gut and iron transport in hepatocytes,reticuloendocytes and bone marrow cells have been progressively investigated and determined in the physiological and pathological status,which give the chances for studying iron metabolism at the cellular and molecular levels in exercise.