Iron Status and the Acute Post-Exercise Hepcidin Response in Athletes (original) (raw)

This study explored the relationship between serum ferritin and hepcidin in athletes. Baseline serum ferritin levels of 54 athletes from the control trial of five investigations conducted in our laboratory were considered; athletes were grouped according to values ,30 mg/L (SF,30), 30-50 mg/L (SF30-50), 50-100 mg/L (SF50-100), or .100 mg/L (SF.100). Data pooling resulted in each athlete completing one of five running sessions: (1) 863 min at 85% vVO 2peak ; (2) 564 min at 90% vVO 2peak ; (3) 90 min continuous at 75% vVO 2peak ; (4) 40 min continuous at 75% vVO 2peak ; (5) 40 min continuous at 65% vVO 2peak . Athletes from each running session were represented amongst all four groups; hence, the mean exercise duration and intensity were not different (p.0.05). Venous blood samples were collected pre-, post-and 3 h post-exercise, and were analysed for serum ferritin, iron, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and hepcidin-25. Baseline and post-exercise serum ferritin levels were different between groups (p,0.05). There were no group differences for pre-or post-exercise serum iron or IL-6 (p.0.05). Post-exercise IL-6 was significantly elevated compared to baseline within each group (p,0.05). Pre-and 3 h post-exercise hepcidin-25 was sequentially greater as the groups baseline serum ferritin levels increased (p,0.05). However, post-exercise hepcidin levels were only significantly elevated in three groups (SF30-50, SF50-100, and SF.100; p,0.05). An athlete's iron stores may dictate the baseline hepcidin levels and the magnitude of post-exercise hepcidin response. Low iron stores suppressed post-exercise hepcidin, seemingly overriding any inflammatory-driven increases.