Date of Award

Summer 1975

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Education (MSEd)

Department

Human Movement Sciences

Program/Concentration

Physical Education

Committee Director

Melvin H. Williams

Committee Member

Richard M. Ellers

Committee Member

Charles Jackson

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.E44 S32

Abstract

The major parameter of interest was the effect of iron supplementation on endurance capacity of female college athletes. Secondary parameters included the evaluation of the effect of iron supplementation on the following hematological variables: white blood cell count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, and hematocrit. Nineteen volunteer female students enrolled at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia served as subjects, All were members of the swimming team. All test trials and venipunctures were done at the women's gym at the College of William and Mary. There were two test periods.

All nineteen subjects performed a 500 yard freestyle swim as a performance measure. Based on times of the initial performance test, two groups were formed. The principles underlying a double-blind placebo experiment were utilized. The experimental group received J24 mg of ferrous sulfate and the placebo group received J24 mg of lactose in capsule form. Both groups took one unit daily for a period of 28 days. Neither group knew which supplement they had received and both groups believed they were taking an iron supplement. After a 28 day period, the subjects were retested on the 500 yard swim.

A subgroup of twelve of the nineteen subjects consented to venipuncture for blood analysis. Six of these subjects were in the iron supplement group and six in the placebo group. Venipuncture was performed twice, both times immediately prior to endurance testing. A blood analysis of white blood cell count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin and hematocrit was done.

Within group differences were analyzed by use of the t-test. Significance was declared if the statistic met or exceeded an alpha level of .05. There was no significant difference in the placebo group for red blood cell count, white blood cell count, hemoglobin or hematocrit. There was a significant increase in endurance. In the iron group, a significant increase was found for the white blood cell count and the red blood cell count; hematocrit was found to significantly decrease, and hemoglobin and endurance did not change significantly.

Between group differences were analyzed by use of the analysis of covariance. Significance was declared if the statistic met or exceeded an alpha level of .05. It was found that there was a significant improvement in endurance capacity for the placebo group. There was no significant difference in white blood cell count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin or hematocrit between the placebo and iron group.

Within the limitations of this study, it was found that iron supplementation had no effect on endurance capacity.

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DOI

10.25777/kqr2-me69

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