PhD Scientific Days 2021

CL_I_P: Clinical Medicine I. Posters

The iron and vitamin-D metabolism correlation with athletic performance

Text of the abstract

Introduction: Recognizing the factors that limit sports performance is highly important so that athletes may provide top performance in competitions. Iron and vitamin D deficiency can be easily detected by laboratory testing, however, there is no clear statement about their connection to performance.
Aims: Our aim is to investigate the association between ferritin, vitamin D levels and exercise capacity in water (W) and dryland (D) sports.
Methods: Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) was performed as part of an extended sports cardiology screening. We analysed the progress of ferritin and vitamin D levels and their correlation with exercise physiological parameters.
Results: Our measurements were performed on 293 top athletes (male=241; 19±6y): W: swimming (n=73, 25%; male=43), water polo (n=51, 17%; male=45). D: soccer (n=79, 27%; male=79), basketball (n=63, 22%; male=62), handball (n=27, 9%; male=12). Performance during CPET was better in W sports (384.9±92.2 vs 339.3±67.5 Watt, p<0.0001), they had higher aerobic capacity (male 55.4±6.2 vs 53.9±5.8 mL/kg/min, p<0.05; female 49.4±6.5 vs 41.8±5.5 mL/kg/min, p<0.0001) and ventilation (male 163.2±25.5 vs 146.2±24 L/min, p<0.0001; female 117.0±17.3 vs. 103.3±20.6 L/min, p<0.005) than D athletes. Ferritin level (male 104±58.4 vs 68.2±43.2 ug/L, p<0.0001; female 66.8±54.2 vs 31.8±22.6 ug/L, p<0.0001) was higher in W sports in both male and female athletes. Vitamin-D level (41.8±17.0 vs 35.0±12.1 ng/mL, p<0.005) was also greater in W sports. Ferritin has positive correlation (R=0.34, p<0.0001) with VO2-max, while Vitamin-D has no correlation (R=0.02, p=0.79).
Conclusion: Based on our results better performance, higher ferritin and Vitamin-D levels were observed in water sports compared to dryland athletes. Athletes with higher ferritin levels had better sports performance. No direct relationship between Vitamin-D levels and performance has been verified, however, it may indirectly affect performance and influence the immune system.
Funding: The research was supported by the ÚNKP-20-3-I-SE-42, ÚNKP-20-4-II-SE-21 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology from the source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund.

University and Doctoral School

Semmelweis University, Doctoral School of Theoretical and Translational Medicine