Effect of 8 weeks aerobic training along with two different intensities and iron supplementation on iron contents and aerobic capacity of female students

Iron deficiency (anemia) is one of the most common metabolic disorders and it can be considered as of most common nutritional deficiencies in women, which can have a significant effect on performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of aerobic exercise with two different intensities (65-75% of maximum heart rate, 90-80% of maximum heart rate) and iron supplementation on iron content of female students.

In this study, 75 female students were selected voluntarily and randomly divided into 6 groups. Group 1: High intensity exercises (90-80% of maximal heart rate) + Supplements, Second group: High intensity exercises (80-90% maximum heart rate) + Placebo use, Group 3: Moderate intensity exercises (75-65% Maximum heart rate) + Supplements, Group 4: Medium intensity exercises (75-65% Maximum heart rate) + Placebo use, Group 5: Control + supplementation, Group 6: Control + Placebo group. All subjects received fasting 14-12 hours before of the first exercise session and further after eight weeks of blood sampling. Data were analyzed using two way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test at the level of p.

The statistical analysis showed that eight weeks of aerobic training with two different intensities had no significant effect on iron, farnin, TIBC, TSF, CBC and other blood indices. However high intensity exercise (90-80% of maximum heart rate) improved the level of VO2max (p=0.02).

According to the results of this study, only high intensity exercises can improve VO2max without changing the iron reserves of female students.