Apr 11, 2014 12:23 PM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Iron supplements may help women improve their exercise performance, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia found that with iron supplementation improved women's exercise performance women were able to perform a given exercise using a lower heart rate and at a higher efficiency, according to a press release.

"This was mainly seen in women who had been iron deficient or anemic at the beginning of the trial and in women who were specifically training, including in elite athletes," lead researcher Sant-Rayn Pasricha of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health said in a statement.

For the study, researchers undertook a systematic review and analysis of the effect of iron supplementation to the exercise performance of women in child-bearing years. They collected data from many individual smaller studies on the topic.  They merged the data into a meta-analysis.

Researchers concluded that iron supplementation improved women's exercise performance, in terms of both the highest level they could achieve at 100 percent exertion (maximal capacity) and their exercise efficiency at a submaximal exertion.

Pasricha said the findings may have implications for improved performance in athletes and health and general health and well-being in the rest of the population.

"It may be worthwhile screening women, including women training as elite athletes, for iron deficiency, and ensuring they receive appropriate prevention and treatment strategies," he said. "Athletes, especially females, are at increased risk of iron deficiency potentially, due to their diets and inflammation caused by excessive exercise."

Prior studies have shown that women given iron experience improved work productivity.  

In addition, this study confirms that iron deficiency can impair exercise performance in women. Iron deficiency can also produce fatigue and lethargy and eventually result in iron deficiency anemia.

The findings were recently published in the Journal of Nutrition.

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