Abstract
Sport training imposes distinct hematological, muscular, and endocrine demands, yet integrated biochemical comparisons across predominant energy-system categories remain limited in Indian athletes. This cross-sectional study compared iron status, muscle enzymes, and anabolic–catabolic hormones in 429 athletes (246 male and 183 female) classified as aerobic, anaerobic, or mixed aerobic–anaerobic. Hemoglobin, ferritin, serum iron, total iron-binding capacity, transferrin saturation, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, testosterone, cortisol, and the testosterone-to-cortisol ratio were evaluated. One-way analysis of variance and exploratory least significant difference post-hoc tests were performed separately by sex. In males, hemoglobin, ferritin, serum iron, transferrin saturation, lactate dehydrogenase, testosterone, and the testosterone-to-cortisol ratio differed significantly among sport groups (p < .05), whereas total iron-binding capacity, creatine kinase, and cortisol did not. In females, hemoglobin, ferritin, transferrin saturation, lactate dehydrogenase, testosterone, cortisol, and the testosterone-to-cortisol ratio differed significantly, while serum iron, total iron-binding capacity, and creatine kinase did not. Aerobic athletes generally had lower ferritin and hemoglobin, higher lactate dehydrogenase, and a less anabolic hormonal profile than anaerobic athletes. Low ferritin was most prevalent in female aerobic athletes (36.4%). These findings support sex- and sport-contextualized biochemical interpretation and multimarker monitoring rather than reliance on sedentary reference limits or isolated measurements.