Effect of 8 Weeks of Continuous Moderate Intensity Aerobic Training on Iron Status in Club-Level Football Players

Aims: As one of the body elements, Iron plays a role in oxygen transport. And, the need for daily Iron increases by the exercises. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of 8-week moderate-intensity aerobic continuous exercises on the serum Iron status in club soccer-players.
In the semi-experimental study, 24 soccer-players of Khorramabad Super Clubs were studied in 2015. The subjects were selected via convenience method and were randomly divided into two groups including experimental (n=12 persons) and control (n=12 persons) groups. 8-week continuous aerobic exercises with 70-80% of maximum heart rate were conducted in experimental group, while no exercise session was conducted in control group. Serum Iron, red blood-cell number, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and serum ferritin were measured before and after the exercise course. Data was analyzed using dependent T test.
Findings: After 8-week exercises and in experimental group, Iron, hematocrit, and serum ferritin levels significantly decreased compared to the pretest stage (p 8-week moderate-intensity continuous aerobic exercises reduce Iron, hematocrit, and serum ferritin levels in the club soccer-players.