PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between serum ferritin (sFer) levels, nutrient intake of iron, calcium and vitamin D and bone mineral density (BMD) in female collegiate athletes. It was hypothesized that if an individual had low sFer (20µg/L. An independent T-test also showed no mean differences in BMD levels at any site when the group was divided into high and low sFer levels. CONCLUSION: There was no correlation between sFer level and BMD or between BMD and intake levels of iron, calcium or vitamin D, in female collegiate athletes participating in weight bearing sports. Although a correlation was not found between sFer levels and BMD, this cannot be generalized to other populations, nor can it be assumed from this data that iron deficiency does not influence BMD. In view of the fact that this phenomena has not been studied in a large cross section of athletes or non-athletes, further study is warranted to determine the influence of sFer on BMD
