We’ve known for years that anemia most commonly strikes young children and premenopausal women. It has been more recently discovered though that athletes are also very likely to become victims to this disease. No one knows for sure why an athletic lifestyle increases the chances of anemia. The theory is that iron loses are a key cause of iron deficiency among otherwise energetic people. It is no mystery where athletes lose iron by the buckets. Obviously, it is in the large amount of sweat that they generate during heavy exercise, or physical activity. Most of us are more likely to eat ourselves into an iron deficient state than to sweat our way there. It is also more likely that a medical condition that compromises iron nutrition will be the culprit. Among the most common causes of iron deficiency are the following conditions: - Poor iron absorption due to diseases of malabsorption, stomach surgery, or chronic diarrhea. - Excessive blood loss from ulcers, heavy menstruation, cancer, or other internal bleeding. - Pregnancy, particularly during the later months, when the baby’s demands for iron from the mother are the greatest. And every now and then, an uncommon metabolic disease or medical procedure will do its part in causing iron deficiency. |
  |
