Abstract

Anemia in athletic girls is often due to iron deficiency. However, little is known about the influence of sports training on porphyrin metabolism in such girls. We determined activities of the porphyrin metabolic enzymes involved in the erythropoietic system in female high-school students, members of basketball club (age 16) and compared the results with those of anemia survey. 1) Girls in both the sporting and non-sporting groups (age 16, culture clubs) showed a declining tendency for hemoglobin concentrations (Hb), indicating that adolescent girls generally tend to have anemia. 2) The sporting group had a significantly lower serum iron and significantly higher total iron binding capacity than the non-sporting group suggesting that girls in the former group were in an iron-deficient state. In addition, the peripheral blood concentrations of zinc increased significantly in the sporting group. 3) delta-Aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) activity in peripheral erythrocytes was found significantly elevated and porphobilinogen deaminase (PBG-D) activity, significantly decreased in the sporting group as compared to the non-sporting group, these alterations in enzyme activities being dissimilar to those seen in iron deficiency anemia. 4) The urinary excretion pattern of porphyrins in the sporting group was different from that in the non-sporting group, being similar to that seen in males. The results show that anemia in athletic girls is a variety distinct from iron deficiency anemia possibly linked to hypozincemia. Verf.-Ref. (gek.)