Iron supplements are critical for female athletes. A meta-analysis (Pasricha et al., J Nutr 2014) of 22 RCTs found iron supplementation improves VO2max by 2.35 ml/kg/min in women. Up to 65% of female athletes are iron-deficient – far higher than the general population.
How should I track Iron supplement?
Iron supplement is high in iron. Supplement tracking comes down to two things: measuring the supplement itself and logging everything around it. For powders like Iron supplement, a kitchen scale beats a scoop — scoops typically deliver 10–20% more than the stated serving (Almiron-Roig et al., Appetite 2013, found portion errors of 50–200% for dense foods). For capsules and tablets, count-based tracking is simpler but still matters at multiple daily doses. The real tracking trap is what you mix supplements with — milk, fruit, or nut butter can turn a 30-calorie serving into a 400-calorie shake. Log each ingredient separately for an accurate total.