The Effect of a Short Term Exercise Schedule on Oral Iron Bio-availability and Iron Incorporation

Iron metabolism may undergo changes during exercise, with reductions in classical iron status markers due to a variety of postulated mechanism which include hemodilution, increased iron loss, hemolysis and increased iron storage in muscles. Furthermore, it has been reported that vigorous training increases hepcidin, a central regulatory peptide in iron metabolism. This increase has been ascribed to the presence of subclinical inflammation. Increased hepcidin levels may reduce iron bioavailability and iron incorporation in erythrocytes.

Twenty healthy men subjects will be recruited as subjects for this study. Subjects should be generally healthy, with no history of blood donation in the last 6 months, should weigh less than 85 Kg, and not take iron supplements and/or multivitamin supplements. Subjects should have familiarity to sports and running, but not currently (i.e. in the past 3 months) training for more than 1h per week on average.

The aim of this study is to measure an iron bioavailability during a resting and an exercise phase lasting approx. 14 days with training sessions on alternate days. Subjects will participate in both restign and exercising protocols and act as their own controls during the study. Iron bioavailability will be measured via the incorporation of stable isotopic labels 14 days after administration. To control for changes in blood volume during the course of the study, blood volume of the participating subjects will be measured before and after the exercise phase with the CO-rebreathing method.

Measurement of iron bioavailability and iron incorporation in a resting and exercising phase will allow determine if the increased level of hepcidin seen in in exercise will induce a lower iron bioavailability and iron incorporation during exercise.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Generally Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Exercise (Running)

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 10

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • Zürich, Switzerland, 8092
    • ETH Zurich

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 50 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Subjects studying or working at the University of Zürich or ETH Zürich

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• men, Generally Healthy age between 18-50 years;
• BMI between 18-25;
• nonanemic (Hb < 120 g/L);
• no intake of vitamins and nutritional supplements;
• no recent blood donation (<4 months);
• no previous participation in studies with stable iron isotopes in the past.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Chronic diseases, Metabolic diseases, GI tract diseases (self reported)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Difference in Iron bioavailabilty exercise and resting phase; the subjects will act as their own control during the study	Behavioral: Exercise (Running); the study foresees a measurement of iron biavailability in a resting and in a exercising phase and subjects will act as their own control during the study.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Iron bioavailability from Stable isotopic labels	Up to 2 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Blood volume increase during exercise	Up to 2 months

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Hepcidin levels and inflammation markers (C-Reactive Protein, 1-Alpha acid glycoprotein)	Up to 2 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Cercamondi CI, Egli IM, Ahouandjinou E, Dossa R, Zeder C, Salami L, Tjalsma H, Wiegerinck E, Tanno T, Hurrell RF, Hounhouigan J, Zimmermann MB. Afebrile Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia decreases absorption of fortification iron but does not affect systemic iron utilization: a double stable-isotope study in young Beninese women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Dec;92(6):1385-92. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2010.30051. Epub 2010 Oct 6. Erratum In: Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Apr;101(4):894.
• Moretti D, Mettler S, Zeder C, Lundby C, Geurts-Moetspot A, Monnard A, Swinkels DW, Brittenham GM, Zimmermann MB. An intensified training schedule in recreational male runners is associated with increases in erythropoiesis and inflammation and a net reduction in plasma hepcidin. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018 Dec 1;108(6):1324-1333. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqy247.

Helpful Links

• Laboratory of Human Nutrition, ETH Zürich

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 7, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 15, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): November 21, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): September 13, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 12, 2013
• Last Verified: September 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: EK 2012-N-27