Iron
Carries oxygen in the blood. The most common deficiency in endurance athletes.
Why it matters
Iron is essential for making haemoglobin the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to your muscles. Without adequate iron, your body cannot produce enough healthy red blood cells, directly limiting your VO₂ max and the ability to sustain hard efforts. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, and endurance athletes face a significantly elevated risk.
For endurance athletes
Female athletes face 2–3× higher risk due to menstrual losses and sweat. Runners face additional risk from foot-strike haemolysis the breakdown of red blood cells on impact with the ground. Even sub-clinical deficiency (without full anaemia) measurably impairs endurance performance and recovery.
Signs of deficiency
- ·Persistent fatigue and low energy
- ·Reduced performance and higher heart rate at same effort
- ·Shortness of breath on effort
- ·Pale skin and frequent illness
Best food sources
- ·Red meat and liver
- ·Lentils and beans
- ·Dark leafy greens (spinach, kale)
- ·Fortified cereals
- ·Dark chocolate
- ·Tofu and tempeh
Track Iron automatically
MOVE logs micronutrients from every food you eat and shows sport-specific context alongside your numbers.