Originally Posted by
SBRDude
Originally Posted by njkayaker
8% is a lot for one "serving". There might be problems with having a lot more potassium too (it might slow water absorption).
What is the RDA for a person riding a bike for hours in the hot sun and humidity? The RDA on the label is for the general population, not endurance athletes. Until we know how much of the different electrolytes we lose with exercise, we will have no idea how much to replace, and relying on a baseline for people NOT exercising is a misleading figure at best.
I wasn't the person who brought up the RDA!! People who are exercising are likely to be consuming more than the RDA anyway because
they are likely to be eating more food!
Anyway, I wasn't talking about the RDA in this comment. I was talking about
dosing.
I'm not claiming one is better than the other. I don't think it matters much for most people (especially people touring).
Originally Posted by
SBRDude
Just think about it logically - Gatorade (and others) tells everyone that sweating a lot means that electrolytes need to be replaced (with their products, of course), but their products actually have very small amounts of those electrolytes. If their products are indeed effective for electrolyte replacement, it must mean that only small amounts of electrolytes are lost and need replacing. If that is the case, then a very small amount of regular food will do the same thing, which means the only benefit to Gatorade is the convenience. If, however, more than very small amounts of electrolytes need replacing, then their products must be ineffective.
The electrolytes are
only a part of why Gatorade is supposedly useful. (Yes, there certainly is a goal to sell people Gatorade. I would definitely suggest skepticism about manufacturer's claims.)
Originally Posted by
SBRDude
Finally, regarding problems from having too much potassium via a supplement, eating a couple bananas would introduce a lot more potassium into one's system and we should have all heard the dangers from eating bananas while riding instead of how beneficial they are.
No one is making that claim.
We don't know which approach is
better. I don't think it matters much.
(I don't think sports-drinks are typically necessary for people generally or people touring.)
===============
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/h...rHydration.htm
What about Sports Drinks?
Sports drinks can be helpful to athletes who are exercising at a high intensity for 60 minutes or more. Fluids supplying 60 to 100 calories per 8 ounces helps to supply the needed calories required for continuous performance. It's really not necessary to replace losses of sodium, potassium and other electrolytes during exercise since you're unlikely to deplete your body's stores of these minerals during normal training. If, however, you find yourself exercising in extreme conditions over 3 or 5 hours (a marathon, Ironman or ultramarathon, for example) you may likely want to add a complex sports drink with electrolytes.
And...
http://www.brianmac.co.uk/drinks.htm
And...
http://www.brighamandwomens.org/heal...ubID=submenu10