Hydration and Electrolytes

A cycling friend of mine (who is also a researcher) sent me this question about hydration/cramping/electrolytes – and I thought some of you other endurance nuts might benefit from the answer…

Hi Shawn,

I use various sport drinks to prevent cramping after hard exercise, but I’m not convinced I have found the perfect one. The literature on these drinks makes confusing claims, such as:

-Sugars are needed for best absorption of salts

-The ideal ratio of Na/K is ….

-Too much Na is dangerous

-Too little Na is dangerous

-Too much K is dangerous

-Trace metals (Mg, Mn) are important

-Vitamins (VitC, riboflavin) help

-The ideal solution to drink has the same composition as sweat. (This is a cool idea, but sweats from different people, different exercises, different nutritional status and different parts of the body vary. Also, you lose or use-up stuff in other ways – kidney filtration, metabolic breakdown (sugars, vitamins)…

It makes sense to me that a practical way to meter these additions to your body is to add them to *all* of the water you drink. That way, you get them roughly in proportion to the water you lose which is related to your energy exertion and may eliminate some environmental variables like temperature. I don’t see the manufacturers stressing this though, and I could be wrong.

It has been a while since I researched this, so I am probably forgetting some of the claims and confusions. In your studies, have you found anything solid? Do you have practical recommendations? My current favorite is Vitalyte, but it has more sugar than I think it should have. I think all the commercial products add sugar to make the product sell.

See you next summer on the trails?

Scott

My reply:

Hi Scott - good to hear from you – and most definitely you’ll see me on the trails as soon as they’re clear of snow!

Yeah - the whole elyte and hydration thing is a mess - there are SO many competing ideas and theories - and the only things that anybody can agree on are:

-a blend of different elytes is best, with sodium by far the most important, then potassium, then any of the others…

-a blend of sugars, at a low level, will enhance absorption of both elytes and H20 (this is why the WHO - World Health Organization gives dilute saline/sugar solution to dehydrated refuges – it hydrates faster, maintains cardiovascular function, and reduces gut bloating)…

-the “commercial” products that do the best job of elyte/hydration are Gatorade “G-Series” and Powerbar's new “Ironman Perform” drink (for short spins in moderate conditions)…

BUT, when you start going “longer” and need more calories, those extra calories really screw things up - they slow the absorption of water and elytes and lead to gut bloating and eventually to cramping (gut and leg cramps).

-this sucks, because the harder you go (intensity), the slower your gut absorption becomes…

-this double-sucks, because the hotter it gets, the more you need the fluid/elytes, and the slower you're able to get them out of your gut and into your blood/muscles…

You will also hear all sorts of rubbish about needing protein and antioxidants and other stuff in your hydration drink – but its all marketing blather. You don’t need protein unless you’re done with your workout – or if you’re going really long (like an ultra) – and in both situations, you want to get anything other than H20, sugar, and electrolytes from your FOOD.

I've been mixing up my own "blend" for years. It is a blend of maltodextrin, sucrose/fructose, and potato starch – three different types of carbs that are absorbed very differently from the gut. Because they use different transporters, they empty quickly and the risk of GI bloat and cramping is much reduced.

I've used this blend for Ironman-distance triathlons and ultramarathon runs (50-100 miles) with decent success - but even then, you still need to go to “real foods” for the really long events.

For elytes, I use sea salt from the grinder - more grinds for really hot days and fewer grinds on less hot days. I know it doesn’t sound very scientific, but it allows you to “customize” your electrolyte intake based on conditions, workout, and fitness level.

Here is my Wicked Fast blend:

* The flavor is fairly mild (I hate the overly sweet taste of most commercial sports drinks).

*(1 rounded scoop = about 35g from the Country Time lemonade canister):

-1 scoop lemonade mix (sucrose/fructose) = 140 calories of "fast" carbohydrates

*I use Country Time lemonade or 4C Ice Tea mix, depending on taste that day.

-1 scoop maltodextrin = 140 calories of "medium" carbohydrates

*I use Carbo-Pro powder, but there are lots of plain maltodextrin powders out there)

-1 scoop potato starch (amylopectin) = 140 calories of "slow" carbohydrates

*I use Manischewitz because you can find it in any grocery store)

-2 "twists" of sea salt grinder = approx 1/4 tsp of salt (about 1g) = approx 450mg sodium, 450mg chloride, 100mg potassium/magnesium/calcium

*I use a pink sea salt from the local grocery store

Total = 420 “mixed” carbohydrate calories with 1,000mg total electrolytes

*you can adjust the amount of sweetness/flavor with more/less lemonade mix and the amount of elytes with more/fewer twists of the salt grinder.

I usually carry this mixed with water in a single 24-ounce insulated bottle with another bottle of plain water. If I need more calories than this 450 - such as in an Ironman or Ultra, then I'm switching over to real foods like PB&J sandwiches, Ensure, Boiled Potatoes, Granola Bars, etc.

I'll also roll out having already taken my 2 Energ-Ease capsules (for endurance/stamina) and if I'm out for over 3 hours, I'll pop a few Recover-Ease capsules (the BCAAs can help enhance hydration and delay central fatigue - but you don't need them for shorter workouts). Of course, I'll finish the workout with 4 capsules of Recover-Ease to enhance post-exercise recovery.

Hope that helps – and good luck on your next long hot ride!

Shawn

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Shawn M. Talbott, PhD, LDN, FACSM

www.ShawnTalbott.com

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https://wickedfastsportsnutrition.com/blog/post/2011/02/01/Electrolyte-Hydration-Beverage.aspx