High RBC counts should help with the retention of iron.
NIH:Study shows iron supplementation after blood donation shortens hemoglobin recovery time http://1.usa.gov/1Ah75iV
I recommend stopping iron supplementation after the suggested number of weeks. People who give blood regularly will likely know if they are in the low or high iron group.
Did great on the hills, so probably right about blood donation, etc. I think the added capacity means more iron free hemoglobin sites available. It would be great to have supplementation guidelines for well-conditioned athetes, so that they don’t overshoot. Too iron much is bad. It’s also likely best to leave a surplus of iron free hemoglobin sites, to clear free iron after RBC turnover.
Given all those caveats, well-conditioned athletes likely have sufficient excess heme to benefit greatly from additional iron. The possibility of providing for additional oxygen transport is very alluring. I can’t rule out the possibility that the two iron pills also helped on the hills. If you don’t believe 2 pills could help, then crunch the numbers. You will see for yourself.
I see some evidence of over-ingestion of in the athletic community. This is bad folks. Please avoid. Those studying exercise cardiomyopathy should check for over-ingestion of iron, etc. As a reminder, too much iron is problematic. The NIH used a low dose.
Here is another link to the NIH blood supplementation article
http://1.usa.gov/1Ah75iV
Along with the caveat, I’m also grateful that iron supplements are readily available to anyone, without a prescription. The human body does all the marvelous iron chemistry w/ 4.2 grams of the stuff total. It is likely that microgram levels of iron supplementation could have a large effect over the course of time. To put this in perspective, the body has a more than a full kilogram of calcium. Unlike iron, calcium has relatively low toxicity
I strongly recommend the cast iron griddles to protect your supply. Don’t overcook on the iron griddles tho. That’s another big problem! Google has a list of iron food sources. It’s possible to get alot from the food without eating much meat. http://bit.ly/1Afu93e
If you go easy on the meat, you have even more reason to go easy on the liver. If blood leaks into the space around the muscles,& breaks down, it releases free iron. This free iron could perpetuated any problems with free radicals, perhaps giving rise to a burning sensation in the gap areas. Be cautious about iron, etc, but make good use of it. Maintaining a high level of conditioning is another good iron strategy. Rich blood hoards more iron. It could speed you on your way and put some air under your feet ;-).
I have other strategies for improving oxygen transport. Be sure and check out my articles about winter training and cold adaptation.
Winter bicycling may have some major #health benefits. – Cold temperatures, strength, and aerobic capacity #biking
Let’s bone up for winter. – #fitness #running #biking #exercise #nutrition #carfree #lifespan #fasting #longevity #food #training
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