{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T02:13:26Z","timestamp":1787883206240,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,10]],"date-time":"2022-12-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1670630400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: While iron deficiency is commonly discussed in populations of professional female athletes, less is known about highly trained, sub-elite female athletes (e.g., those winning international age-group competitions) who generally have less access to medical and allied health support. Methods: Thirteen non-professional highly trained female endurance athletes provided training diaries and completed a blood test, where iron markers of haemoglobin (Hb), haematocrit (Hct), C-reactive protein (Crp), serum iron, serum ferritin, and transferrin were assessed. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) and body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were also obtained. Participants were classified as iron deficient (ID) if serum ferritin was &lt;30 ug\/L serum ferritin. Results: Six of the 13 females were classified as ID. Serum iron, ferritin, Hb, Hct, and ferrin were greater in the ID group (p &lt; 0.05). Crp resulted in large to very large correlations with serum iron (r = \u22120.72), serum ferritin (r = \u22120.66), and transferrin (r = 0.70). Conclusions: In this population of highly trained female athletes, 46% were diagnosed with sub-optimal iron levels, which could have lasting health effects and impair athletic performance. The need for more education and support in non-professional athletes regarding iron deficiency is strongly advised.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph192416606","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,12]],"date-time":"2022-12-12T02:15:33Z","timestamp":1670811333000},"page":"16606","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["High Prevalence of Iron Deficiency Exhibited in Internationally Competitive, Non-Professional Female Endurance Athletes\u2014A Case Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3255-5428","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stacy T.","family":"Sims","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"WHISPA High Performance Sport New Zealand, Auckland 0632, New Zealand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kelsi","family":"Mackay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Te Huataki Waiora, Faculty of Health, Sport and Human Performance, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3216, New Zealand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4068-354X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alana","family":"Leabeater","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sport, Performance, and Nutrition Research Group, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne 3086, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6561-2460","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anthea","family":"Clarke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sport, Performance, and Nutrition Research Group, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne 3086, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5023-0603","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katherine","family":"Schofield","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"WHISPA High Performance Sport New Zealand, Auckland 0632, New Zealand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9990-8830","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matthew","family":"Driller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sport, Performance, and Nutrition Research Group, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne 3086, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1565","DOI":"10.1080\/02640414.2021.1885782","article-title":"Iron status in athletic females, a shift in perspective on an old paradigm","volume":"39","author":"Badenhorst","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. 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