# Effect of Off-Season Iron Supplementation on Aerobic Capacity of Female Handball Player: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study

## TL;DR

This study found that 3 weeks of off-season iron supplementation improved certain aspects of aerobic capacity in female handball players, but did not significantly increase VO2max.

## Contribution

The study provides new empirical evidence on the effects of short-term iron supplementation on specific aerobic capacity metrics in female athletes.

## Key findings

- Significant improvements were observed in oxygen at the first ventilatory threshold and related metrics.
- No significant changes were found in VO2max or other ventilatory parameters after iron supplementation.
- Iron supplementation positively impacted some aspects of aerobic capacity in female handball players.

## Abstract

Iron supplementation, especially in female athletes, is 1 of the influential factors in aerobic capacity, and its deficiency can lead to significant problems related to reduced aerobic capacity.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of 3 wk of iron supplementation on the aerobic capacity of female handball players.

In this randomized, double-blinded, and placebo control trial, 14 elite handball players (age: 21.6 ± 5.68 y; height: 169.5 ± 4.9 cm; weight: 62.2 ± 9.25 kg; body mass index (in kg/m2): 21.5 ± 2.9) randomly divided into 2 supplement groups (receiving a 100 mg/d of poly-maltose tri hydroxide iron complex in the form of tablets) and the placebo group (receiving a tablet containing 100 mg/d starch which is the same color and shape as iron tablets). The supplementation protocol was performed for 3 wk during the off-season. Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), amounts of carbon dioxide at the first ventilatory threshold, amounts of carbon dioxide at the second ventilatory threshold, time to exhaustion (TTE), pulmonary ventilation (VE), ventilatory equivalents for oxygen, amounts of oxygen at the first ventilatory threshold, amounts of oxygen at the second ventilatory threshold, time to reach first ventilatory threshold, end-tidal partial pressure of oxygen at the first ventilatory threshold, end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide at the first ventilatory threshold and ventilatory equivalents for carbon dioxide were measured using the Bruce test and gas analyzer in 2 pretest and posttest stages.

There were significant improvements in oxygen at the first ventilatory threshold, time to reach first ventilatory threshold, and end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide at the first ventilatory threshold and a significant decrease in end-tidal partial pressure of oxygen at the first ventilatory threshold (P < 0.05). Also, no significant changes were found in VO2max, carbon dioxide at the first ventilatory threshold, carbon dioxide at the second ventilatory threshold, oxygen at the second ventilatory threshold, TTE, VE, ventilatory equivalents for oxygen, and ventilatory equivalents for carbon dioxide after 3 wk of iron supplementation (P > 0.05).

The study found that 3 wk of off-season iron supplementation positively impacted female handball players’ aerobic capacity; however, it did not significantly improve their VO2max.