# The Potential Role of Iron Homeostasis and Ferroptosis in Exercise Nutrition and Health

## TL;DR

This paper explores how iron balance and a type of cell death called ferroptosis affect muscle health and athletic performance, aiming to improve sports nutrition and injury prevention.

## Contribution

The paper systematically reviews the role of iron homeostasis and ferroptosis in muscle health and proposes new insights for athlete nutrition and injury prevention.

## Key findings

- Iron homeostasis is crucial for maintaining muscle function and preventing disorders in athletes.
- Ferroptosis and iron imbalance are linked to muscle injury, myocardial damage, and overtraining syndrome.
- Targeted therapies for iron overload and ferroptosis could offer new treatment strategies for muscle diseases.

## Abstract

Iron is an essential trace element that participates in multiple physiological processes, including oxygen transport, electron transfer, DNA synthesis, and red blood cell production. Iron loss is particularly severe among athletes, so maintaining iron homeostasis is crucial for sports nutrition and health. Excess iron, iron deficiency, and ferroptosis can lead to muscle disorders and health issues, including sarcopenia, muscular atrophy, myocardial fibrosis, skeletal muscle injury, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders. Maintaining iron homeostasis within physiological limits is essential for athletes to sustain high-intensity performance and accelerate recovery. Therefore, a comprehensive review of the effects of iron homeostasis and ferroptosis on muscle health is significant for identifying potential therapeutic targets and developing new disease treatment and prevention strategies. This paper systematically reviews research progress on targeted therapies for iron overload and ferroptosis in muscle diseases, clarifies the impact of iron on athletes’ physiological functions and competitive performance, and explores the potential application of iron in precision nutritional regulation. It aims to provide new insights for preventing exercise-induced muscle injury, myocardial damage, and overtraining syndrome in athletes.