Electolytes and minerals for high heat?

[Sid Post]

Camelbak markets a product called Elixir that is safe to use in their hydration bladders.

Thanks! I will look into that. Cleaning a hydration bladder that has had sugar in it is a real pain.

 

[Crewdawg]

For events that last hours I mix water 50-50 with Gatorade. For shorter term I just do straight water, most of us have more than enough electrolytes in our diet to cover brief outages.

That's what Dr Paul Auerbach recommends in his book; "Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine" (3rd Edition, Mosby):
Under Chap 5, Heat Illness, he states that "colder fluids are more easily absorbed from the stomach", and:

Different levels of Gatorade (or sililiar electrolyte) are recommended, but it's interesting to me that full strength Gatorade is not recommended until treating Hyponatremia (too much water, not enough salt in the system), an extreme situation.

Prior to that, he recommends Gatorade diluted to 1/3 to 1/2 strength, and/or 2 dissolved 10 grain salt tablets or 1/4 tsp of table salt dissolved in a quart of water for prolonged standing in a hot environment (Heat syncope, or fainting treatment).

For Heat Cramps and Heat Exhaustion, he recommends a solution that contains 1/4 tsp salt and 1.5 g potassium chloride in 1L of water, or Gatorade diluted half strength with water.

Also interesting to me was that "net water absorption in the gut is about 20 mL/minute or 1200mL/hour", which translates to 2-3 half-liter (500 mL) bottles of fluid per hour, or 1 half Liter bottle every 20-30 minutes.

I personally never put anything in my Camelbak bladder except water, so my conclusion from all of the above is that if:

(BL) I drink one bottle of gatorade per hour, and spend the rest of the hour sucking from my camelback the equivalent of 1/2 to 1 L of water during that same hour, I should be fine. That is under very high heat (I'm deployed to the desert right now, 110-115 F daily) and high exertion.

Bottom line is look at your urine; if it's clear you are well hydrated, the darker/more gold color, the more dehydrated you are.

 

[Sid Post]

Bottom line is look at your urine; if it's clear you are well hydrated, the darker/more gold color, the more dehydrated you are.

That's part of my concern, to little flow and the dark color combined with mild nausea is telling me something is off.

I'm not so sure about direct absorption from the stomach. I thought that was a primary function of the colon among other things.

 

[dttomcat]

I've used NUUN (i think thats the name) drink tablets. they are sweetened with splenda, so not the best for constant use (unless you dehydrate enough to get constipated, then they are great!) good flavors. I mostly use them as a mid day thing if I havn't been able to eat much and its super hot (more when I was acclimating to aussie weather) I try to stick to water most of the time, as I rarely feel the need to add more salt. +1 to the diluted gatorade as well, I think most folks need less than they think.
Gollnick, as for the history thing, there were a lot of things they did not understand, and there are a myriad of conditions in old medical literature that are really just the long term effects of dehydration, or low electrolytes. chronic kidney problems used to be much more common, so I understand (or at least quack cures were!)

I've used the Nuun and a couple of other brands of the effervescent electrolyte tabs. All of the good stuff and none of the sugar in the Gatorade or Powerade. Sometimes, when I drink alcohol like I've been known to do, it's the second best thing to a very expensive IV banana bag. Pick them up at your local Sports Authority or REI store.

 

[Sid Post]

I've used the Nuun and a couple of other brands of the effervescent electrolyte tabs. All of the good stuff and none of the sugar in the Gatorade or Powerade. Sometimes, when I drink alcohol like I've been known to do, it's the second best thing to a very expensive IV banana bag. Pick them up at your local Sports Authority or REI store.

It looks like I'm headed to the big city today so, I will be sure to swing by a large sporting goods store and pick some of these up. THANKS!

 

[Shann]

Although its pretty rare, one of my good friends almost died from hyponutremia (sp?). He did a 100 mile bike race and drank tons of water. He didn't feel well after the race, so drank more and more water. His stomach was upset so he didn't eat. He ended up in seizures and broke a vertabra in his back from the seizure. Luckily, his friend who was at his house when it happened was a doctor and knew what he had done that day so he had a good idea that was the problem and the ambulance got him on an electolyte or some such thing before he even got to the hospital.

Apparently, just a few salty snacks or gatorade type drinks during the day would have completely prevented the problem. But it is very rare, compared to dehydration.

 

[ron_m80]

I prefer Celery juice. It's nearly cheaper than everything and has a really palatable dietary salt in it.

 

[roncunningham]

Do you guys think the potassium supplements work?

 

[Gollnick]

Although its pretty rare, one of my good friends almost died from hyponutremia (sp?). He did a 100 mile bike race and drank tons of water... He ended up in seizures...

Apparently, just a few salty snacks or gatorade type drinks during the day would have completely prevented the problem.

Exactly. Even in a case of very extreme activity like this, one Gatorade-type drink would have been enough. You don't need a continuous steam of this stuff.

 

[Unicorn161]

Gatorade only has two of the needed electrolytes. Sodium and a small amount of potassium. It was enough to keep my potassium in balance when I was all messed up going through chemo though.
You still need some calcium and magnesium to stay in balance. Most people get more than enough sodium in their daily diet. Not so much the others. It's why milk has been mentioned. Calcium, and a decent amount of the others I believe.
There are a ton of sports drinks and powders on the market. Look for less sugar and all of the electrolyes. The sugar in Gatorade and the others does help your body absorb fluid better though and that's why it's there. Plus if it tastes better you'll drink more. I've been told by multiple doctors and medics, physicians assistants, etc that diluted Gatorade or Poweraide is a very, very good way to hydrate.

 

[Sid Post]

I prefer Celery juice. It's nearly cheaper than everything and has a really palatable dietary salt in it.

Do you "juice" it yourself or buy it commercially?

 

[Sid Post]

Do you guys think the potassium supplements work?

While not scientific by any means, I was having leg cramps at night and started taking a small Potassium tablet before bed. This let me sleep through the night thanks to no leg cramps.

 

[Mossyhorn]

I've been taking my daily hike with temps in the 90's and relative humidity around 44%. My route is 5.25 miles long with some very challenging hills. I drink a 32 oz. bottle of gatorade and a glass of water about 20 minutes before I leave. I take along a 32 oz
water bottle clipped to my belt. By the time i'm finished, all the water is gone. It's amazing how much moisture you loose by hiking steep terrain in the heat. I try to breathe through my nose when I can to avoid loosing more moisture. Drinks like gatorade do help
a little, but water is important too. Avoid the high caffeine energy drinkig at all cost. You don't need anything that accelerates your heart beat. I'm thinking about getting Camelbak Viper to use on my hike. I have packs with hydration bladders but they're all too large for the hike that I take.

 

[ron_m80]

Do you "juice" it yourself or buy it commercially?

I juice it myself. I own one of those jack la lanne juicers.

have also used pedialyte as well, its tops for rehydratio. And it only tastes good when you are about that thristy.

 

[avidknifeusersf]

Theyve done studdies that if your tongue tastes any sort of sugar, you get an increase in performance/endurance. Something around 5%. I've added a bottle or two of pedialyte to water for desert hiking in very dry climates where I know im losing salt and water. I'm pretty confident just trail mix would have gotten the job done though.

Also I store my camelback in the freezer in between uses I've done this for years with no cracking and not funky growth.

 

[Blunt Forged Edge]

With the Camelbak I simply bought the Cleaning Kit. Using the Camelbak Cleaning Tablets and by following the instructions I've experienced good results.

 

[Sid Post]

I juice it myself. I own one of those jack la lanne juicers.

have also used pedialyte as well, its tops for rehydratio. And it only tastes good when you are about that thristy.

Good tip on the Pedialyte. If it came in a powder, I'd probably give some a try. If you have the flu and can't keep anything down or in, Pedialyte is a good option.

I ended up using something similar in Europe long ago when I got Camphlobacter Jujuni (sp?). That was an ugly episode of sickness.

 

[Jason B.]

I work outside doing what is considered strenuous work. Here in Michigan for the past few weeks we've been near 100 degrees with high humility. I also in most cases must wear a full face respirator that uses carbon filters. Due to the conditions work times are limited between breaks and water consumption is around 1 liter ever 1-2 hours.

Drinks like gatorade can help but nothing replaces water, too much sugar in such heat for me personally causes me to feel drained and lacking hydration (dry mouth). Eating good meals and lots of fruit between, combined with proper water consumption for a giving activity, IMO does more than any sports drink.