Electrolytes are extremely important for the body, especially for active people. The issue of replenishing them is in turn linked to hydration, which is unfortunately often forgotten. Water is, after all, the most important supplement and element of the diet.
Dehydration is easiest during hot weather, especially when practising sports outdoors. Long summer hikes or bike trips? Long-distance runs? Or mountain climbing? Careless practice can end not only in dehydration, but also in heatstroke.
How important is hydration?
It is said that the human body is mostly made up of water, and this is of course true - about 60% of a man's body weight is water. It is crucial when it comes to the course of physiological and mechanical processes, including digestion and the transport of nutrients. In principle, it is essential for life and should not be forgotten. The most commonly cited functions include:
- thermoregulation,
- enabling the transport of nutrients,
- enabling biochemical reactions,
- supporting the maintenance of the body's acid-base balance,
- contributing to ensuring appropriate conditions for metabolic processes,
- enabling physiological reactions,
- supporting metabolic processes,
- effect on physical and mental / intellectual condition.
Of course, as the level of activity increases, the demand increases. It is known that not only movement or physical activity leads to increased use of this essential element. Nevertheless, people who exercise should take the issue of hydration particularly seriously. This applies both to the period around training and to the period during exercise.
What do electrolytes have to do with it?
Hydration and adequate electrolyte availability make it possible, among other things, for proper biochemical reactions to occur, as well as for performance during physical exercise to be achieved and maintained. They determine active transport and the maintenance of the electrical potential of our cell membranes. What is more, they are responsible for the previously mentioned thermoregulation and metabolic processes.
The most common symptom of an electrolyte imbalance, in the context of sport, is reduced muscle function, including reduced effectiveness and training performance. Of course, this also applies to manual workers.
On the other hand, in people who are inactive or lead a sedentary lifestyle, deficiency is rare, as they supply them from food in relatively large amounts, while at the same time they do not experience such losses as those who engage in physical exertion. Increased sweating during exercise causes plasma volume to decrease. As a result, blood flow worsens, and muscles do not receive sufficient amounts of key nutrients, including energy-yielding ones.
The electrolytes considered the most important are those that have the greatest effect on cell membranes and allow optimal osmotic pressure to be maintained. Namely: Ca2+, Mg+, Na+, K+ and Cl-. Sodium is particularly important, as it serves as the main extracellular cation.
It is largely its availability that determines water-electrolyte balance. However, it should be remembered that optimal proportions between sodium and potassium should be maintained in order for the so-called sodium-potassium pump to function properly and to maintain normal blood pressure.
Electrolytes - role and benefits
- responsible for water absorption and transport,
- support efficient blood flow,
- have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system,
- have a positive effect on the coagulation process,
- enable proper muscle contractility,
- improve oxygenation and cell renewal,
- contribute to lowering cholesterol,
- support the anti-inflammatory mechanism,
- enable the production of gastric acid.
Electrolytes: the most common symptoms of deficiency and imbalance:
- diarrhoea,
- excessive sweating,
- muscle cramps,
- dizziness and disturbances of balance and motor coordination,
- vomiting.
How to replenish electrolytes and what should we hydrate the body with?
The best means for hydrating the body, and also replenishing electrolytes, is water. Not juice, not a beverage, not an energy drink (which unfortunately is a common practice, even before exercise), but water. An appropriate alternative would be isotonic drinks, most often containing a composition of important elements along with carbohydrates that facilitate hydration (e.g. dextrose, maltodextrins). The concentration of the ingredients is similar to that of our body fluids, so water is not used for digestive processes.
In the case of sweet drinks, where the concentration is much higher, the digestive system draws on increased amounts of water to digest the sugars. As a result, drinking them may more quickly lead to dehydration and digestive problems rather than to anything beneficial. A good option and a kind of natural isotonic drink may be coconut water.
Either way, adequate water intake will be a key element of hydration for athletes. However, one needs to know what amount will be optimal for us and the lifestyle we lead. Experts quite often recommend 1 ml of fluids per 1 kcal in the diet. It is worth keeping in mind that WHO or IŻŻ guidelines refer more to the needs of physically inactive people. Another commonly used calculation is 30 ml of water per 1 kg of body weight. Accordingly, a person weighing 100 kg will need to take in an average of 3000 ml (3 l) of fluids per day.
The worst circumstances, in terms of health risk, are competition or training conditions in hot weather. Then not only dehydration but also overheating / heatstroke can occur. Thermoregulation is impaired, and therefore so is the body's ability to cool itself, and the muscles are weakened (on average about 30% of performance under normal conditions when we do not consume the proper amount of fluids containing electrolytes). This also negatively affects mental state and concentration.
Summing up, water and electrolytes are the most important supplements for maintaining mental, health and physical condition, as well as improving exercise capacity.
