Assess the importance of iron intake for female endurance athletes. (5 marks)
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Sample Answer
Judgment Statement:
- Iron intake is highly important for female endurance athletes due to compound risks from training demands and menstruation.
Oxygen Transport Efficiency:
- Iron forms haemoglobin which transports oxygen to working muscles, essential for aerobic cellular respiration.
- Female endurance athletes with adequate iron maintain optimal oxygen delivery throughout prolonged exercise.
- This demonstrates high importance as oxygen transport directly determines aerobic performance capacity.
Menstruation and Depletion Risks:
- Female athletes face dual iron loss through menstruation and training-induced depletion.
- Low iron levels cause decreased haemoglobin, resulting in fatigue and reduced aerobic efficiency.
- This shows substantial importance as deficiency significantly impairs training and competition performance.
Overall Assessment:
- Iron intake proves highly important for female endurance athletes who face greater deficiency risks than other populations.
- Adequate iron through lean meat or supplementation maintains performance capacity.
- The compound effect of gender-specific and training losses makes iron intake critical for sustaining endurance performance.
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Sample Answer
Judgment Statement:
- Iron intake is highly important for female endurance athletes due to compound risks from training demands and menstruation.
Oxygen Transport Efficiency:
- Iron forms haemoglobin which transports oxygen to working muscles, essential for aerobic cellular respiration.
- Female endurance athletes with adequate iron maintain optimal oxygen delivery throughout prolonged exercise.
- This demonstrates high importance as oxygen transport directly determines aerobic performance capacity.
Menstruation and Depletion Risks:
- Female athletes face dual iron loss through menstruation and training-induced depletion.
- Low iron levels cause decreased haemoglobin, resulting in fatigue and reduced aerobic efficiency.
- This shows substantial importance as deficiency significantly impairs training and competition performance.
Overall Assessment:
- Iron intake proves highly important for female endurance athletes who face greater deficiency risks than other populations.
- Adequate iron through lean meat or supplementation maintains performance capacity.
- The compound effect of gender-specific and training losses makes iron intake critical for sustaining endurance performance.