Department of Health Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2011 Jul-Sep;25(3):427-34.
The use of iron supplements should be a judicious choice, primarily when considering the possible risks deriving from an unjustified treatment. In trained athletes, levels of ferritin between 15 and 30 microg/L are frequently observed. Within this ferritin range, the usefulness of iron supplementation is still controversial. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the clinical usefulness of hepcidin assessment in the analysis of the iron status of young non-anemic athletes. Fifty young athletes were enrolled. The subjects were divided into 4 groups according to their ferritin levels. No statistically significant difference was found regarding hepcidin levels between athletes with ferritin lower than 15 microg/L and those in the 15-30 microg/L range. Similarly, no difference was found between athletes with ferritin higher than 50 microg/L and those in the 30-50 microg/L range. On the contrary, statistically significant differences were found between athletes with ferritin levels ranging from 15 to 30 microg/L and those in the 30-50 microg/L range. The present study suggests that serum ferritin levels below 30 microg/L indicate an asymptomatic iron deficiency status inhibiting hepcidin expression and that 30 microg/L should be considered the ferritin cut-off when considering an iron supplementation in young athletes.
铁补充剂的使用应该是明智的选择，主要是在考虑到不合理治疗可能带来的风险时。在训练有素的运动员中，经常观察到铁蛋白水平在 15 至 30 微克/升之间。在这个铁蛋白范围内，铁补充剂的作用仍然存在争议。本研究旨在评估铁蛋白评估在分析年轻非贫血运动员铁状况中的临床实用性。 50 名年轻运动员被纳入研究。根据铁蛋白水平，将受试者分为 4 组。铁蛋白低于 15 微克/升和 15-30 微克/升的运动员之间的铁蛋白水平之间无统计学差异。同样，铁蛋白高于 50 微克/升和 30-50 微克/升的运动员之间也没有差异。相反，铁蛋白水平在 15-30 微克/升和 30-50 微克/升之间的运动员之间存在统计学差异。本研究表明，血清铁蛋白水平低于 30 微克/升表明存在无症状铁缺乏状态，抑制铁蛋白表达，而 30 微克/升应被视为考虑年轻运动员铁补充时的铁蛋白截止值。
