Electrolytes
Electrolytes along with protein are the two most hyped sports nutrition products.
But are the best endurance athletes in the world actually supplementing with them?
Or is it just more marketing hype from brands that don’t actually know what they are doing?
We asked Tim Podlogar of Bora Hansgrohe for his opinion on the topic and what he tells his riders. Additionally, we heard from multiple endurance athletes about their approaches.
What Are Electrolytes?
The 4 main sources of electrolytes are Sodium, Potassium, calcium, and magnesium. They all play different roles inside your body and are lost in sweat.
Sodium is the most important as there is more of it in your body than any other electrolyte and high losses in sodium levels can lead to negative consequences.
When you have low sodium levels your cells aren’t able to hold as much fluid which is critical because; more fluid equals a greater blood plasma volume which allows for oxygen to be transferred around your body easier.
This explains why the majority of endurance athletes around the world choose to supplement with sodium, especially in the heat.
How Bora Hansgrohe Supplement Electrolytes
According to Podlogar, most people actually consume enough electrolytes in a well-balanced diet, especially when they avoid processed foods.
The problems arise when the athlete starts to sweat, as electrolytes are lost in sweat. Most significantly sodium. That is why electrolyte supplementation is a thing.
And that is why Bora Hansgrohe make sure there is some form of sodium in most of their drink mixes, gels, and snacks consumed during races and hot training.
Keyword “sodium”. Podlogar didn’t mention his riders supplementing any other electrolytes.
However, he did state “I don’t believe sodium depletion can actually occur, as the body adapts to preserve sodium levels when they are low”. This was also mentioned by Asker Jeukendrup (Jumbo Visma Nutritionist).
Podlogar also said it isn’t even worth monitoring most of the time unless your sweat has a high sodium concentration. Some individuals sweat high amounts of sodium and some don’t. It’s a very individualised situation. That is why the general rule of thumb is to include some sodium when training or racing. Additionally, if you know you sweat a lot, add a little extra.
For those of you that do not know, the most common form of sodium is salt. You can often simply add salt to your drink bottles or purchase nutrition products that contain sodium. For most people, a pinch or two of salt will do fine.
Any brand that advertises a pure electrolyte product either doesn’t know what they are doing or is selling the product because of the market hype behind electrolytes. The following is a quote from an electrolytes article on jeukendrup’s website, “it is fair to say that the message as it is portrayed in the media and by many companies is more hype than it is backed by scientific evidence”
Also, remember that over-supplementation of electrolytes can often result in symptoms such as nausea.
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Electrolytes for Ironman and Ultra Endurance
In events lasting longer than 4 hours electrolytes (sodium) start to become quite important. Especially in hot weather.
Therefore in races like this, we recommend supplementing with sodium straight away. Precision Fuel and Hydration are well educated in this area and have a few tools on their website for you to test to estimate your sweat rate.
You may need 200mg per hour or you may need 1500mg per hour.
Electrolytes and Cramping
For those of you that don’t know, scientific studies are done by gathering a few subjects and testing them in different environments or conditions.
Now imagine how they gathered approximately 10-50 people, got half of them to consume electrolytes and half to not, and waited until they experienced cramps.
You see, it’s a tricky topic to test. Many experts say it’s almost impossible for anyone to draw valid conclusions from any studies about cramping.
On Asker Jukenrup’s (Jumbo Visma’s head nutritionist) website mysportscience, this is mentioned and they conclude cramps are likely caused by a number of factors such as overall fatigue or possibly low energy levels.
Conclusion
The pro’s supplement with sodium when training and racing.
The quantities they supplement with vary greatly depending on the athlete. Some athletes need high amounts up to 1.5g per hour, others only need a pinch of salt every hour.
Are you a salty sweater? If so, one of the best things you could do to improve your performance could be simply adding some salt to your bottles.
However, when it comes to spending on general electrolyte drink mixes… Instead, save your money for a drink mix that is high in carbohydrates!!