How iron deficiency could affect Charles’s performance for Corinthians | OneFootball

The midfielder Charles, from Corinthians, was diagnosed with a iron deficiency in his body and is undergoing medical monitoring to identify the cause. Last Wednesday, the player's wife revealed that he was undergoing tests at the Sírio Libanês Hospital in São Paulo.

Gazeta Esportiva interviewed Carol Quadros, a sports nutritionist from Inter de Minas, which has the CBF club certification, to understand the situation. She explained the issue and indicated possible causes for iron deficiency in high-performance athletes.

“One of the main mechanisms that can lead to iron deficiency in athletes is related to the increased demand for iron and the blockage of iron absorption. In the case of increased demand, these athletes have a greater need for iron precisely because they work with increased muscle mass, which requires a larger blood volume. The blockage of iron absorption is related to inflammatory processes that occur after high-impact physical activities, with bursts of hepcidin, which is a hormone that regulates iron absorption and can be triggered by intense exercise. This ends up reducing iron absorption,” she detailed.

(Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

How to treat?

Carol also pointed out possible treatment strategies against iron deficiency. In Charles's case, after being diagnosed with the issue in periodic tests conducted by the club, the player received the suggestion from the head of the Medical Department, Dr. André Jorge, to use supplementation. The level of ferritin, the protein responsible for storing iron in the body, improved but did not reach the expected level.

As a result, the doctor recommended conducting new tests to analyze the case more thoroughly.

“When this deficiency is detected, we have the option of three strategies. The first is always a dietary adjustment, observing the amount of foods consumed that contain heme iron, which is the iron more easily absorbed by the intestine, and increasing the intake of these foods. We opt for a conservative treatment, with dietary adjustment, increasing the amount of protein and iron-rich foods of animal origin. The second strategy is oral supplementation, done by the doctor. It occurs to adjust this iron in the patients, in the athletes in question, when only dietary adjustment has not been effective. Finally, there is the third strategy, which is intravenous injections. It is an iron supplementation injected directly into the vein, done by the medical team,” she explained.

Possible symptoms

During the conversation, the nutritionist informed the possible symptoms of iron deficiency in the body, not only in athletes. They are:

Impact on performance

Carol also explained how the problem can impact Charles's performance. “This impacts the athlete's performance tremendously. Iron is an important mineral for athletes, essential for the production of hemoglobin. It ends up having a characteristic of transporting oxygen from the lungs to the muscles. This transport is impaired, resulting in low energy production and a reduction in cognitive function.”

According to the specialist, iron deficiency in high-performance athletes is more common than imagined. “Unfortunately, it is common. Athletes are at greater risk of iron deficiency compared to the general population, especially in the case of women, who have the issue of monthly menstrual bleeding. Athletes have up to a 35% higher chance of developing this problem than the rest of the population.”

Charles remains available

Despite the diagnosis, Gazeta Esportiva found that Charles is physically well. The midfielder is training normally and even took to the field during the team's return to training last Wednesday at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava.

Charles trained without any restrictions with the Corinthians squad last Wednesday (Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

He, therefore, remains available to coach Dorival Júnior for Timão's matches.

Charles's numbers

Signed by Corinthians last year, Charles has 53 matches played for the alvinegra team. During this period, the 29-year-old athlete scored one goal and provided one assist. This season, he has made 29 appearances on the field, 13 as a starter.

The player was improvised in the last Timão match. In the absence of Matheuzinho, the midfielder was moved to the right-back position in the classic against Palmeiras last Sunday at Neo Química Arena, in the Brasileirão. He ended up committing a penalty in the 1-1 draw.

Next Corinthians match

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.