Nutrient deficiency?
Let's dig deeper.
If you’ve worked with female athletes (especially elite swimmers) there’s no doubt you’ve seen this often:
Feeling low → blood test → low iron → infusion.
Simple.
No further questions.
No one asks:
Why are they low in the first place?
And this applies to almost all nutrient screenings and tests.
The 3 Reasons They Might Be Low
At Propel, I’ve categorised most nutrient deficiencies into one of three processes.
1. Ingestion
Obvious one.
Examples:
Vegetarian or low red meat intake → lower iron intake
Low dairy or calcium-rich foods → lower calcium intake
In these cases, increasing intake (food first, supplements if needed) makes sense.
2. Absorption
This is where it gets more interesting (and mostly overlooked).
They might be eating enough… but not absorbing it.
Common contributors:
poor gut health
inflammation in the digestive tract
low fibre intake
For example:
They can ingest all the calcium they want but if their gut isn’t absorbing it properly, it doesn’t move the needle.
(Previously, I’ve written how this prebiotic can help with calcium absorption.)
3. Retention
Sometimes the issue isn’t intake or absorption, it’s *retention*.
Their body either cannot store the nutrients or may be burning through them faster.
Examples:
high stress → increased vitamin C demand (wrote about this last week).
heavy training → increased glutamine needs (touched on this here).
illness or recovery → higher overall nutrient turnover
Of course, in these cases, increasing intake can help.
But so can adjusting the stressors, e.g. training, competition or travel program.
Either way, look at the causes, not just the symptoms.
The Takeaway
Low nutrient levels are often a signal, not the root problem.
Instead of asking:
“What should I take?”
A better question is:
“What’s driving this?”
And ideally, that’s a conversation to have with their health practitioners and performance team.
A More Complete Approach
Rather than jumping straight to infusions, a more balanced approach might include:
improving gut health and absorption
increasing whole-food nutrient intake
supporting the body during periods of stress
using targeted supplementation where appropriate
This is why I am so excited about some of the research we’re seeing in this space.
This paper suggests inulin (a prebiotic fibre) supports gut health and calcium absorption.
While this one suggests fulvic acid may enhance the absorption of minerals.
Final Thought
More isn’t always better.
Better absorption?
Better retention?
Better questions!
Chat soon,
Grant
PS Mystery discount on all our products for this weekend when you order through this link (you’ll see the discount before you check out).