The Importance of Iron & Vitamin D for Endurance Training

The New MultiV Couldn’t Come at a Better Time

By Jeff Rocco, MD

Introduction

December is upon us.

It’s dark in the Northern Hemisphere, and the days are still getting shorter. In Utah, we have been backcountry skiing since October at higher elevations, often in the dark, and darkness and cold make trying to maintain fitness just a little more stressful – not to mention schedules overladen with work demands, family responsibilities, and social events. Trying to get it all in, AND train, AND have proper nutrition is difficult. Now – as with any time of year – endurance athletes need more.

MultiV can help.

First Impressions of MultiV

I have been using the new MultiV from First Endurance for the past several weeks, and I am super impressed. Luke Bucci, PhD (who many of you know as First Endurance’s Chief Scientific Officer) has written an excellent introduction to the new MultiV, which summarizes the extensive changes brought forward in the new formula. Not only have vitamin and mineral quantities changed (some increased, some decreased), but nutrient sources have also changed to optimize absorption and bio-availability. Which brings us to my area of expertise.

I’m a member of Utah’s only dedicated bone health clinic, where we treat osteoporosis and routinely screen patients for both iron deficiency and vitamin D deficiency. Given that background, I am particularly happy to see MulitV include chelated iron sourced from Ferrochel® and an increased dose of vitamin D.

Iron & Vitamin D - Critical for Endurance

Iron deficiency in endurance athletes is common. As training loads go up, red blood cells and muscles break down and more iron is needed for hemoglobin (in red blood cells) and myoglobin (in muscle).

Absent sufficient iron, hematocrit decreases, with a corresponding decrease in oxygen-carrying capacity. Muscular performance – both skeletal and cardiac – suffers. But replenishing iron in athletes isn’t simple, because not all sources of iron are absorbed equally. Most oral iron supplements simply do not get absorbed. The iron in Ferrochel® is the best absorbed oral iron supplement, and availability doesn’t translate to toxicity because your body only takes what it needs.

The other nutrient I am highlighting here, vitamin D, is critical for not only bone health, but also in nearly every organ system in the body. Approximately 80% of patients we screen are deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption from the gut, and athletes, in particular, can benefit from enhanced calcium absorption to replace calcium lost through sweat while exercising.

System Synergy: MultiV + HALO

Interestingly, iron and calcium absorption can both be impaired by turmeric supplements, which are currently popular. When this happens, not only is the curcumin in turmeric unavailable, but the turmeric actually binds to iron and prevents its absorption. In my practice, we have even seen patients become iron deficient after starting a turmeric supplement.

HALO does NOT have this problem, and is an excellent complement to MultiV because the patent-pending formula prevents the iron-bonding, promoting full efficacy for all ingredients involved.

Dr. Bucci, who designed HALO, knows more about this than anyone, and if you haven’t read his posts about curcumin and HALO, I highly recommend them. He has also already written extensively about the new MultiV, covering everything from general health to performance benefits – again, highly recommended.

"Together, the new MultiV and HALO have allowed me to be more active, recover better, sleep better and repeat"

As an orthopaedic surgeon, it’s my job to help patients be as active as possible. I of course want the same for myself. I feel that together, the new MultiV and HALO have allowed me to be more active, recover better, sleep better and repeat – despite getting older.