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High Altitude Medicine and BiologyVolume 25, Issue 1, 1 March 2024, Pages 9-15

Nutrition in Women at High Altitude: A Scoping Review—UIAA Medical Commission Recommendations(Article)

  • Andjelkovic, M.,
  • Paal, P.,
  • Kriemler, S.,
  • Mateikaite-Pipiriene, K.,
  • Rosier, A.,
  • Beidleman, B.A.,
  • Derstine, M.,
  • Hefti, J.P.,
  • Hillebrandt, D.,
  • Horakova, L.,
  • Jean, D.,
  • Keyes, L.E.
  • View Correspondence (jump link)
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  • aMedical Commission of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA), Bern, Switzerland
  • bInstitute of Pharmacy, Singidunum University, Belgrade, Serbia
  • cDepartment of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, St. John of God Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
  • dEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
  • eDiaverum Dialysis Clinic, Elektrenai, Lithuania
  • fU.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Military Performance Division, Natick, MA, United States
  • gDepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
  • hSwiss Sportclinic, Bern, Switzerland
  • iDepartment of Internal Medicine, Hospital Biel/Bienne, Biel, Switzerland
  • jGeneral Medical Practitioner, Holsworthy, United Kingdom
  • kDepartment of Anaesthesiology, Perioperative and Intensive Care, Masaryk Hospital, Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic
  • lPaediatrics, Infectious Diseases and Altitude Medicine, Grenoble, France

Abstract

Andjelkovic, Marija, Peter Paal, Susi Kriemler, Kaste Mateikaite-Pipiriene, Alison Rosier, Beth Beidleman, Mia Derstine, Jacqueline Pichler Hefti, David Hillebrandt, Lenka Horakova, Dominique Jean, and Linda E. Keyes. Nutrition in women at high altitude: a scoping review—UIAA Medical Commission recommendations. High Alt Med Biol. 25:9–15, 2024. Background: Nutritional concerns such as food composition, energy intake, and nutrient absorption are essential for performance at high altitude and may differ between men and women. We performed a scoping review to summarize what is currently known on nutrition for women during short-term, high-altitude, physically active sojourns. Methods: The UIAA Medical Commission convened an international team to review women’s health issues at high altitude and to publish updated recommendations. Pertinent literature from PubMed and Cochrane was identified by keyword search combinations (including nutrition, metabolism, energy composition, micronutrients) with additional publications found by hand search. Results: We found 7,165 articles, of which 13 original articles assessed nutritional aspects in physically active women on short-term high-altitude sojourns, with other articles found by hand search. We summarize the main findings. Conclusions: Data on women’s nutrition at altitude are very limited. Reduction in energy intake plus increased energy expenditure at high altitude can lead to unbalanced nutrition, negatively influencing high-altitude adaptation and physical performance. Therefore, adequate dietary and fluid intake is essential to maintaining energy balance and hydration at high altitude in women as in men. Iron supplementation should be considered for women with iron depletion before travel. © 2024 Mary Ann Liebert Inc.. All rights reserved.

Author keywords

altitudeenergyironperformancewomen

Indexed keywords

EMTREE drug terms:hemoglobiniron
EMTREE medical terms:acclimatizationaltitudeArticlebasal metabolic ratebody weight losscaloric intakeenergy balanceenergy expenditurefemalehumaniron depletioniron metabolismloss of appetitemountaineeringnutritionphysical activityphysical performancedietmale
MeSH:AltitudeDietFemaleHumansIronMale

Chemicals and CAS Registry Numbers:

hemoglobin, 9008-02-0; iron, 14093-02-8, 53858-86-9, 7439-89-6;

Iron

  • ISSN: 15270297
  • CODEN: HAMBB
  • Source Type: Journal
  • Original language: English
  • DOI: 10.1089/ham.2023.0047
  • PubMed ID: 37971430
  • Document Type: Article
  • Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert Inc.

  Andjelkovic, M.; Medical Commission of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA), Bern, Switzerland;
© Copyright 2024 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Cited by 1 document

Horakova, L. , Kriemler, S. , Študent, V.
Hormonal Contraception and Menstrual Cycle Control at High Altitude: A Scoping Review—UIAA Medical Commission Recommendations
(2024) High Altitude Medicine and Biology
View details of this citation
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