Participants
cardiovascular disease
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, INFLAMMATION OR INFECTION
The participants were athletes playing in a Basketball Academy. Our inclusion criteria were the following: (1) male athletes, (2) age under 19 years, (3) no previously known cardiovascular disease. Athletes belonged to U15, U16, U18, and U19 (U = under) age groups. In basketball, “U groups” are categorized according to age and technical abilities. For the randomized placebo‐controlled study, we included athletes with ID defined as ferritin level <100 μg/L. Our exclusion criteria included: (1) clinical or laboratory sign of infection or inflammation; (2) underlying cardiovascular disease detected on the screening exam; (3) athletes, who left the Basketball Academy and could not participate in the control exam.