Br J Nutr. 2021 Nov 11:1-22. doi: 10.1017/S0007114521004426. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
In the US, as many as 20% of recruits sustain stress fractures during basic training. In addition, approximately one-third of female recruits develop iron deficiency upon completion of training. Iron is a cofactor in bone collagen formation and vitamin D activation, thus we hypothesized iron deficiency may be contributing to altered bone microarchitecture and mechanics during 12-weeks of in creased mechanical loading. Three-week old female Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to one of four groups: iron adequate sedentary, iron deficient sedentary, iron adequate exercise, and iron deficient exercise. Exercise consisted of high-intensity treadmill running (54 min 3×/week). After 12-weeks, serum bone turnover markers, femoral geometry and microarchitecture, mechanical properties and fracture toughness, and tibiae mineral composition and morphometry were measured. Iron deficiency increased the bone resorption markers C-terminal telopeptide type I collagen and tartate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRAcP 5b). In exercised rats, iron deficiency further increased bone TRAcP 5b, while in iron adequate rats, exercise increased the bone formation marker procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide. In the femur, exercise increased cortical thickness and maximum load. In the tibia, iron deficiency increased the rate of bone formation, mineral apposition, and zinc content. These data s how that the femur and tibia structure and mechanical properties are not negatively impacted by iron deficiency despite a decrease in tibiae iron content and increase in serum bone resorption markers during 12-weeks of high-intensity running in young growing female rats.
PMID:34758890 | DOI:10.1017/S0007114521004426
