Olympic medallists pump iron message

VIGOUR: Olympians Sarah Walker (left), Sophie Pascoe and Lisa Carrington are campaigning for Iron Awareness Week.

Yesterday saw the launch of Iron Awareness Week with a trio of ambassadors called the Iron Maidens.

Olympians Sarah Walker, Lisa Carrington and Sophie Pascoe are taking their role further as Beef + Lamb New Zealand ambassadors, helping to spread the message of iron deficiency.

Feeling tired, irritable and grumpy, having difficulty concentrating and feeling the cold are all symptoms of being low in iron but are usually put down to a busy lifestyle.

"More people need to be aware of these symptoms and what can be done to improve iron levels", said Sarah Walker, BMX medallist.

Iron deficiency is particularly prevalent among teenagers and women.

Kathryn Beck of Massey University said: "The latest National Nutrition Survey found over 10 per cent of New Zealand teens (15-18 years) and women (31-50 years) had iron deficiency.

"Many more women are likely to have low iron stores and are at risk of developing iron deficiency."

Young children are also at risk with New Zealand research revealing eight out of 10 toddlers did not meet the recommended daily intake of dietary iron and 14 per cent of children under 2 were deficient.

Iron's role in red blood cell formation makes it vital for delivering oxygen to muscles during exercise and K1 canoe medallist, Lisa Carrington said she knows the importance of having iron in her diet every day.

"Nourishing whole food is key to my performance both in training and competition, and iron-rich foods have an important role to play in my energy levels," says Carrington.

This is also an area of interest for High Performance Sport New Zealand nutritionist Alex Popple.

"Enhancing oxygen uptake and delivery are some of the desirable adaptations from endurance training," he says.

"Paradoxically, endurance athletes are often found to have iron deficiency, which could limit or impair performance."

Iron is found in a number of foods, with lean red meat providing one of the richest sources of easily absorbed haem iron. A general rule is the redder the meat, the higher the iron content. For more information visit www.ironweek.co.nz or visit your GP.