What they’re, what they do, and why you want all 5.
by Jeff Rocco, MD
INTRODUCTION
The science of cramp prevention is each complicated and surprisingly easy. The causes and mobile chemistry concerned – that’s the complicated half. The answer, luckily, is the simple half: take all 5 electrolytes earlier than, throughout, and after train in an effort to keep balanced electrolyte ranges. Overloading one or two – like, say, by relying completely on pickle juice – can truly throw off your inner steadiness and can solely contribute to signs like mind fog, fatigue, muscle weak point, and – in fact – cramping.
On this blogpost, Dr. Jeff Rocco breaks down every of the 5 electrolytes, summarizing what they do, how they’re misplaced, and what occurs while you’re poor in them. Future weblog posts will go into extra element about how these electrolytes earn their salt, however for now, let’s meet the gamers.
HYDRATION ALONE ISN’T ENOUGH
It’s possible you’ll recall from highschool science class that electrolytes are dissolved mineral salts contained in our physique fluids – each inside and out of doors our cells. Correct hydration and a steadiness of all 5 electrolytes enable neurons to fireplace appropriately so muscular tissues can contract forcefully and predictably.
For athletes, electrolyte losses happen primarily via sweating, which we do so much, making dehydration an apparent and vital drawback. Fluid losses as little as 1-2% of physique weight may cause a drop in efficiency, whereas losses exceeding 4% of physique weight may cause vital failure.
Realizing this, athletes drink, however issues worsen for athletes who drank primarily or completely water, as a result of consuming water with out electrolytes replaces fluid losses, however dilutes electrolytes by throwing off these vital focus ranges. For instance, in IRONMAN medical tents, electrolyte deficiencies are discovered extra generally than dehydration. Hydration earlier than and through longer occasions is sweet, but it surely ought to at all times comprise electrolytes.
THE FIVE ELECTROLYTES
It isn’t our focus right here to evaluate in depth the entire mobile biology associated to electrolyte homeostasis; as an alternative, we’re figuring out the place electrolytes go when they’re misplaced, what the signs are when electrolytes are poor, and how one can keep electrolyte ranges to realize optimum efficiency.
The 5 key electrolytes for endurance athletes are sodium (Na+), potassium (Okay+), chloride (Cl-), calcium (Ca++), and magnesium (Mg++). In our our bodies, hydration is linked intimately with the concentrations of these electrolytes, each individually and in relation to one another. As these electrolytes are misplaced, these concentrations change, and issues begin to go haywire.
Â
SODIUM (Na+) & CHLORIDE (Cl-)
Sodium is essentially the most considerable and maybe an important of the electrolytes. Many meals comprise sodium, and if not, we’ll typically add it within the type of Sodium Chloride (NaCl – or, merely, desk salt).
Na+ is present in greater concentrations outdoors of cells in our our bodies, and all cells depend upon it (and potassium) to deliver vitamins contained in the cell and to take away waste. Nerve conduction – a course of vital for pondering and for activation of muscular tissues – can also be closely depending on sodium and potassium.
Deficiency of sodium known as hyponatremia, and it’s the commonest electrolyte dysfunction within the US. Hyponatremia in athletes is normally resulting from sodium misplaced in sweat. Different illness processes could trigger hyponatremia, however the signs of hyponatremia are the identical for athletes and non-athletes, no matter trigger. These embrace fatigue, muscle weak point, muscle spasms or cramps, convulsions, nausea, vomiting, confusion, or decreased consciousness. Vomiting due hyponatremia may cause Na+ ranges to drop even additional – a compounding drawback that’s frequent amongst athletes pushing the intense limits of endurance.
I’m lumping chloride in right here as a result of it’s a negatively charged ion which binds readily to sodium and potassium – see the desk salt instance above. When sodium or potassium is consumed, chloride is normally current. It performs a job in electrolyte steadiness, however don’t search for dietary supplements containing chloride by itself – they don’t exist!
POTASSIUM (Okay+)
Potassium is the first electrolyte discovered inside cells. It really works intently with sodium and chloride sustaining fluid steadiness and mobile homeostasis and conducting nerve impulses. Okay+ is misplaced from contracting muscular tissues with consumption of muscle glycogen throughout train, and it’s additionally excreted in urine or sweat.
Low potassium known as hypokalemia. Signs of hypokalemia are sometimes just like some signs of hyponatremia – muscle fatigue, weak point, drowsiness, confusion, or irregular heartbeat.
CALCIUM (Ca++)
Bones are the most important reservoir of Ca++ within the physique; nonetheless, soluble calcium in physique fluid can also be obligatory for neuromuscular conduction, muscular contraction, and inter- and intracellular messaging, and it performs a key regulatory position in glycogen metabolism – extraordinarily vital for endurance athletes.
Vital portions of Ca++ will be misplaced in sweat. Research in faculty basketball gamers have discovered that decreased bone mineral densities and stress fractures correlate with calcium losses in sweat – a danger multiplied by long-distance endurance coaching.
Whereas continual calcium deficiency could result in depletion of bone mineral density, acute signs of hypocalcemia throughout train could manifest as muscle spasms or cramps, intestinal misery, confusion, and tingling in fingers and toes. Therapy with hydration mixes and dietary supplements wealthy in Ca++ deal with these acute points, but it surely additionally results in elevated bone densities (Klesges 1996).Â
MAGNESIUM (Mg+)
Magnesium is maybe essentially the most underappreciated electrolyte. Many athletes acknowledge the significance of sodium and potassium supplementation, and that turns into the precedence, however low Mg+ is usually the explanation for sub-optimal efficiency.
Mg+ is vital for correct transmission of nerve impulses, muscular contraction, and power manufacturing related to ATP – general, greater than 300 enzymatic reactions in your physique depend upon magnesium as a cofactor. That features its fellow electrolytes; magnesium can have direct results on sodium, potassium, and calcium channels situated in cell partitions.
Longer and extra intense train depletes magnesium ranges, and it’s excreted in sweat and urine. Signs of magnesium depletion embrace weak point, muscle cramps, confusion and irregular heartbeat.
CONCLUSION
Weak point, confusion, muscle cramps, and nausea don’t make for a great day as an endurance athlete. By now you might start to acknowledge a theme: Depletion of any of those 5 important electrolytes will seemingly lead to related signs.
It’s tough to determine an remoted electrolyte deficiency with no laboratory evaluation, and we all know that each one 5 of those electrolytes are misplaced in sweat and depleted with train, so an athlete’s greatest plan of action is to devour all 5 electrolytes earlier than, throughout and after train.
Vitamin methods that ignore a few of these electrolytes will fail in additional excessive circumstances. Hotter temperatures, longer or extra intense train ends in higher electrolyte losses, which must be changed to coach and race successfully. And once more, merely supplementing sodium or popping potassium isn’t going to chop it, and may very well create an electrolyte imbalance that throws off your inner chemistry, exacerbating somewhat than assuaging cramping.
Discussion about this post