Author
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Lukaski, Henry |
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Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 9/6/2001 Publication Date: 4/1/2002 Citation: Lukaski, H.C. 2002. Assessment of mineral status of athletes. In: Driskell, J.A., Wolinsky, I., editors. Nutritional Assessment of Athletes. Boca Raton, LA:CRC Press. p.339-369. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: With the increasing interest in the role that minerals play in the development and maintenance of physiological function and physical performance, there is a demand for general knowledge of methods to assess mineral nutritional status of humans. Use of dietary assessment is an approach that has been used frequently despite the awareness that self- reports of food intake generally underestimate nutrient intake for an individual. In contrast, blood biochemical measurements of mineral concentrations and activity of mineral-containing enzymes provide an objective indicator of mineral status. Numerous extrinsic factors that affect the accuracy and precision of analytical measurements exist, and must be controlled. Reliance on a single, blood biochemical measurement of mineral status may be problematic; use of multiple indicators is recommended to obtain a representative assessment of nutritional status. This point is emphasized effectively by the finding that low hemoglobin concentration is a true indicator of iron deficiency anemia which is associated with severe impairment of physical work capacity. In contrast, decreased serum ferritin, which reflects low body iron stores, despite normal hemoglobin concentration, is associated with increased oxygen use during prolonged, low-level exercise and no impairment of maximal work capacity. The availability of reproducible and sensitive biochemical methods to assess mineral nutritional status enables unique studies to delineate the role of minerals in promoting human health and function. |
