Not so long ago, an American doctor claimed that women had physiological limitations. His thesis argued, among other things, that a woman’s anatomy and emotions made her unfit to drive a car! Fortunately, this doctor’s theory has since been thoroughly disproved: there are very few disciplines – including those considered physically and mentally demanding – that women do not practise. Of course, spirulina is good for sportsmen and sportswomen alike, but what follows focuses mainly on the benefits of spirulina for women who do sport. In women, iron and vitamin B9 status is put under strain by a physiological characteristic and a habit that men do not experience: menstruation and oral contraceptives.
THE EFFECT OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES
We will not, of course, enter the debate about oral contraceptives here. We will simply point out that taking them tends to deplete vitamin B9 stores. Among other things, this vitamin plays a role in cell division and in the production of red blood cells – two vital processes that are particularly important when you do sport.
IRON STATUS UNDER THREAT EVERY MONTH
Menstrual losses, for their part, expose women to low iron levels or even iron deficiency. Blood is the body’s largest iron store, so losing blood means losing iron. For sportswomen, these losses come on top of those caused by exercise itself – in particular micro-injuries that cause tiny bleeds in the digestive tract, or simply the increased use of iron by the body during exertion. As a result, athletes and women – and so, all the more, female athletes – are more prone to iron deficiency. Yet iron is essential for forming the red blood cells that carry oxygen to the muscles. One of the main signs of iron deficiency is therefore a lack of energy, which hardly goes hand in hand with sport!
Taking 100% natural spirulina, naturally rich in iron and vitamin B9, is therefore particularly suitable for sportswomen to keep their intake in line with their needs. If an iron deficiency is actually diagnosed, spirulina enriched with iron during cultivation can also be a good alternative to the treatments usually offered.
Read also:
