If it ain't broke, don't fix it. My doc says don't supplement iron unless you have a deficiency. If you think that you may have an issue, get a basic blood test to make sure before you supplement.
Your doctor probably suggested you get 8 jabs too.
I have no doubts that your coach is nice and he means well, but giving bad advice that is potentially harmful to your health is unacceptable.
He has been coaching for 30 yrs and recommends this every year to his team. He’s never seen any issue with it, specifically because nearly all runners are at lower range due to training.
Definitely get your Ferritin checked. Mine was really high and took the genetic test and found out I had Hemochromatosis H63d Homozygous. Really rare blood disease. I Iron overload and have liver and other issues. Too much Iron in your organs can be really detrimental to your health. Taking Iron supplements if you have Hemochromatosis is not good. I think your coach should not recommend any vitamin or oral drugs unless doctor approved.
team doc long ago saw my low ferritin and prescribed iron pills. But he more importantly said "just eat lots of red meat."
Nurse came by later and said "don't listen to him, just take the supplements." Nurse was wrong, doc was right. Supplements did work but the meat was all that was needed. Heme iron vs nonheme.
Don't be an idiot vegan or avoid meat and you'll never worry about iron again. Nature made you to kill and eat animals, you're not a rabbit or a cow.
Iron is toxic! Conventional medicine does not understand its metabolism. In order iron to be absorbed COPPER is needed, which many people lack. Iron interacts with copper in a similar way as calcium interacts with magnesium. Many people also lack magnesium, but they take only calcium supplements....
Of course a coach shouldn’t be dispensing medical advice and this should all be done under the supervision of a physician. But the coach can recommend the athlete go to a doctor, preferably one familiar with distance running, and get an iron panel done w serum ferritin. The “normal” range is wide, like 15-250 or something, different for men and women.
A lot of doctors think 15 is normal and ok, but it’s just simply not. 50 should be the target. Minimally 30. We are not talking about athletes trying to get it to 200 here, just maintain adequate iron storage levels. And, yes, diet and rest help.
As an addendum, I struggled all through college because a coach (es) couldn’t simply be bothered to recommend I get my iron checked. I should’ve been all-American but struggled instead without knowing what was wrong until my senior year. So much wasted time. Nor could university doctors figure out what was wrong.
I had to go to a private consult on my parent’s insurance to finally start getting answers. All I needed was a coach to tell me to check my iron. I used to chew ice, a symptom of a condition called Pica. Everyone knew it was abnormal but nobody could tell me what was wrong, including those early physicians. What is a coach for ultimately? This is a simple suggestion and common in hard core distance runners.
Yeah, taking an iron supplement isnt that big of a deal. You guys on here are acting like the coach is trying to inject his kids with epo. It's a damn iron pill! They've been selling Geritol for almost 100 years!
This. The scaremongering about iron is common to threads like this, but overblown. A once or twice daily supplement just isn't that risky. It's not like people are downing a bottle of Floradix each day.
Its very possible for most to get all the iron they need from their diet. If you need a supplement, there is a good chance your diet is bad. I'd examine what I was eating and investigate other micro nutrient deficiencies. You want to eat lean red meat (game meat is better than cow if you can get it), mussels/oysters, veggies that contain iron, whole grains, quinoa, etc. The farm raised chicken raised in the us is nutrient poor - ya it has some protein, but thats it.
Nobody should just take iron. It needs to be monitored through blood test as too much iron can be fatal. Have an iron panel done to include ferritin...ferritin that is on the lower end of normal could be treated with iron, not just for those deficient. also, Blood Builder is one of the best products on the market for iron supplementation.
You arent going to improve like that. Dont eff around. You can cause harm by overdoing iron.
But my coach said he wants us supplementing 2x to improve for regionals. Is he wrong for saying that?
Yes he is wrong. Iron supplements are a good idea but that is more than you need. I just take iron when I feel like I need it but I have spent years getting really in tune with my body so it is easier for me to tell when I need something.
This post was edited 6 minutes after it was posted.
Iron is toxic! Conventional medicine does not understand its metabolism. In order iron to be absorbed COPPER is needed, which many people lack. Iron interacts with copper in a similar way as calcium interacts with magnesium. Many people also lack magnesium, but they take only calcium supplements....
This is true. Most people would be better off supplementing 2-3g of copper per day than trying to supplement any iron.
But my coach said he wants us supplementing 2x to improve for regionals. Is he wrong for saying that?
No he isn’t wrong. Most good coaches are encouraging their teams to take iron. Overdoing it is very very rare. I’ve never heard of someone having a problem with too much iron.
Who are you people lol? There are definitely negative side effects. Very common.
No he isn’t wrong. Most good coaches are encouraging their teams to take iron. Overdoing it is very very rare. I’ve never heard of someone having a problem with too much iron.
Who are you people lol? There are definitely negative side effects. Very common.
Yes you have seen a lot of people having too much iron with negative side effects from taking one iron supplement per day?
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