
Iron Supplements and Running Endurance
Hard
Does taking an iron supplement help iron-deficient runners get faster? Iron carries oxygen in the blood. When iron levels drop, muscles may tire more quickly during long runs.
In this project you recruit 20 women aged 20 to 25 who have confirmed iron deficiencies. All of them run 5 km on a treadmill and you record their times. Then you split them into two matched groups. One group takes a 100 mg iron tablet daily for two weeks. The other takes a placebo (a look-alike pill with no active ingredient).
After two weeks both groups run the 5 km again. You compare the average times before and after to see whether the iron group improved more than the placebo group.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that women athletes with iron deficiencies can better their performance with iron supplements.
Method & Materials
You will select 20 women between the ages of 20 and 25 who have iron deficiencies, divide them into two groups, and have them run 5 km on a treadmill. One group will take iron supplements while the other group will take a placebo.
You will need a doctor to help test the participants for iron deficiency, a treadmill, a stopwatch, 140 tablets of iron supplements, and 140 tablets of placebo.
Results
The results showed that the women in the group taking iron supplements were able to better their time taken to complete the 5 km run on the treadmill. The women in the group taking the placebo did not show any improvement in their performance.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it tests the effects of iron supplements on female athletes with iron deficiencies. It is unique because it looks at how iron deficiency can affect the performance of athletes.
Also Consider
Variations of this science project could include testing women with normal iron levels or testing male athletes.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related videos
These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
Share this Science Project:
Related Science Fair Project Ideas
Survey 120 people about their fast food orders and compare the nutritional values to recommended daily limits.
Hard
Track test scores across five breakfast types over two weeks and discover which fuel helps the brain perform best.
Hard
Feed three groups of mice different supplements for a month and compare which group gains the most weight.
Hard
Share this Science Project:
