Antecubital venous blood samples were collected from all players at T11, T21, and T29. All samples were collected in basal conditions after overnight fasting and at least 36 h following the last practice or match to avoid acute effects of exercise on blood markers. The players arrived at the laboratory at 8:30 a.m. and after 30 min of quiet-sitting, blood samples were collected. Further, no players were menstruating during blood collection time points.
Specifically, a blood sample was collected from the antecubital vein into a K-EDTA-coated Vacutainer system (4 mL) containing gel and clot activator for serum separation (9 mL). An STKS autoanalyzer (Coulter) was used to determine red blood cells (RBCs) and Hb, and Hct were also calculated. Additionally, the iron parameters SFe, TRF, and FER were measured using an auto-analyzer (COBAS FARA; Roche Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland). Serum iron was determined using the colorimetric method with ferrozine, but without protein precipitation, while FER was measured via immunoturbidimetry. Lastly, TSI was calculated as: (TS (%) = SFe (mg/dL) × 70.9/TRF (mg/dL)) [21 ].
Specifically, a blood sample was collected from the antecubital vein into a K-EDTA-coated Vacutainer system (4 mL) containing gel and clot activator for serum separation (9 mL). An STKS autoanalyzer (Coulter) was used to determine red blood cells (RBCs) and Hb, and Hct were also calculated. Additionally, the iron parameters SFe, TRF, and FER were measured using an auto-analyzer (COBAS FARA; Roche Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland). Serum iron was determined using the colorimetric method with ferrozine, but without protein precipitation, while FER was measured via immunoturbidimetry. Lastly, TSI was calculated as: (TS (%) = SFe (mg/dL) × 70.9/TRF (mg/dL)) [21 ].