REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

Salt V's Electrolyte sports drinks ???

963 Views 5 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Rattus, Jan 16, 2010

Rattus

Discussion Starter · Jan 15, 2010

I did a 24hr race last year and was generally happy with how I handled my nutrition and hydration.

One problem I did find was that for the last quarter of the race I had to urinate frequently, every lap I had to go.

At the time I though it was just because I was smashed, and at least I seemed to be well hydrated.

I have since read that salt can help with fluid retention, so I'm assuming I need more salt (normal table salt) in my 24hr diet??? do people agree?

I had plenty of electrolytes from Gatorade and Endura.

I did have hot chips with a bit of salt about 10pm and they were great.

Can anyone suggest other foods that would suit? easy to consume quickly, maybe while riding, that can have salt added and stay palatable?

Perhaps I could put a small amount of salt in a glass of water, I know too much will make you sick.

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mannpowered

· #2 · Jan 15, 2010

I have had the same issue at 24 hour races that I have to go about every hour the last 6-8 hours when before I hardly needed to go at all. I am not sure if that is just all the liquid finally catching up as the output level and the temps drop or what.

I don't rely on salty foods but take Succeed by E-caps. I have a huge issue with cramps and they are the only thing that seem to solve that problem. I do eat some salty foods during the ride that seem to stay down pretty well. Pringles, dill pickles and chicken noodle soup to name a few. The chicken noodle soup works great to calm down the stomach as well. During the night I would have a cup each lap.

Joe Mann

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BKruahnndon

· #3 · Jan 15, 2010

Table salt isn't the only 'salt' you should be consuming. It seems that when most people say they take electrolyte replacement drinks/tabs they are most concerned with sodium...when really your body needs a whole lot more for rehydration.
Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium etc, are all equally important when it comes to muscle contraction and relaxation.

Too much OR too little of these electrolytes will mess with your hydration level and cause excessive urination. So, I would recommend starting out by reading labels on exactly what you're consuming to see exactly how much of each electrolyte you get. then adjust for the conditions (heat, humidity, effort level, etc).

one last thing...the need to urinate each lap isn't necessarily a bad thing.

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BBW

· #4 · Jan 16, 2010

BKruahnndon said:
Table salt isn't the only 'salt' you should be consuming. It seems that when most people say they take electrolyte replacement drinks/tabs they are most concerned with sodium...when really your body needs a whole lot more for rehydration.
Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium etc, are all equally important when it comes to muscle contraction and relaxation.

Sweat sodium concentration averages ~35 mEq·L-1 (range 10-70 mEq·L-1) and varies depending upon genetic predisposition, diet, sweating rate, and heat acclimatization state (3,17,40,60,130,144). Sweat concentrations of potassium averages 5 mEq·L-1 (range 3-15 mEq·L-1), calcium averages 1 mEq·L-1 (range 0.3-2 mEq·L-1), magnesium average 0.8 mEq·L-1 (range 0.2-1.5 mEq·L-1), and chloride averages 30 mEq·L-1 (range 5-60 mEq·L-1)

ACSM, 2007

You can read the ACSM position stand in Exercise and fluid replacement if you are not familiar with it...
http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2007/02000/Exercise_and_Fluid_Replacement.22.aspx

Na and Cl are the prevalent cations in the extracelullar fluid and their loses are larger than the other electrolytes. Also read about Na and osmotic pressure...calcium and magnesium loses are minimal (agree that they are essential for muscle contraction but you will not deplete those through sweating and we are talking about hydration, not muscle contraction

)
People should emphasize sodium intake and follow the guidelines to ensure proper hydration as well as start euhydrated.

During exercise and heat stress, both glomerular filtration and renal blood flow are markedly reduced, resulting in decreased urine output (150). Therefore, when fluids are over consumed during exercise (hyperhydration), there may be a reduced ability to produce urine to excrete the excess volume. With intermittent activities these effects may not be as strong on reducing urine production.

ACSM, 2007

if dehydrated persons consume large volumes of hypotonic fluids, they will have copious urine production long before euhydration is reestablished

ACSM, 2007

Failure to sufficiently replace sodium losses will prevent the return to euhydrated state and stimulate excessive urine production (87,105,127). Consuming sodium during the recovery period will help retain ingested fluids and help stimulate thirst. Sodium losses are more difficult to assess than water losses, and it is well known that individuals lose sweat electrolytes at vastly different rates. Drinks containing sodium such as sports beverages may be helpful, but many foods can supply the needed electrolytes. A little extra salt may usefully be added to meals and recovery fluids when sweat sodium losses are high.

ACSM, 2007

hope it helps

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pghryder

· #5 · Jan 16, 2010

Hammer Endurolytes

Try those. They have saved me more than a few times. You can buy it in a bulk powder form or the capsules. They both work well depending on how you want to use them. The capsules are easy to dose and transport.

A friend of mine who does some pretty long ultra run stuff turned me on to them about 6 or so years ago when we were training up for some stuff . I have used them in many different races and can't say anything negative about them. Hammer in general makes excellent products. But everyone's stomach is different. Good luck

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Rattus

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 16, 2010

Great, stacks of useful info, thanks very much everyone

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