The Effect of Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Sumac Powder (rhus Coriaria L.) along with Ferrous Sulfate on Blood Markers and Oxidative Stress of Young Athletic Girls with Non-Anemic Iron Deficiency (NAID)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the simultaneous consumption of sumac powder (Rhus Coriaria L.) and ferrous sulfate for six weeks on hematologic indices such as ferritin, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV), inflammation (high sensitivity C-reactive protein), oxidative stress (TAC and MDA) and some physical fitness factors in teenage volleyball players with depleted iron stores (serum ferritin less than 40 ng/ml). In a semi-experimental study, 30 girls aged 15–18 years with three to five years of background in volleyball who were at the special level of preparation with low iron stores were screened and randomly divided into three homogeneous groups (iron supplementation, iron supplementation + sumac powder, and placebo). Capsules containing ferrous sulfate with 50 mg of elemental iron, one gram of sumac powder, and one gram of rice flour (placebo) were consumed daily by the subjects until the end of the study. Compared to the other two groups, only the iron group showed a significant increase in ferritin concentration (P = 0.000), anaerobic power of the upper limb (P = 0.04), anaerobic power of the lower limb (P = 0.01), and agility (P = 0.00). None of the three groups showed any significant changes in Hb, Hct and Mcv (P = 0.57, P = 0.36, P = 0.33), hs-C reactive protein (P = 0.06), lactate (P = 0.89), VO2max (P = 0.75) and activity heart rate (P = 0.26). The results showed that sumac powder not only did not improve the effect of iron supplementation, but also had a negative effect on it.