"Your Sports Drink may be dehydrating you" article

[swlsue]

I thought this was an interesting article
I recently re-vamped my nutrition program to address my cycling needs. One of the questions I had for my nutritionist, Keith Klein, was whether or not I needed to drink Gatorade. This article parallels the information he gave me on sports drinks.

It's from the Lee Labrada site.


Your Sports Drink May Be Dehydrating You

by Dr. Clay Hyght, DC, BSc, CSCS, CPT

With summer rapidly approaching, Lee Labrada and I want to drive home the importance of proper hydration. A few weeks ago Lee wrote a greatarticle on the importance of proper fluid intake and what detrimental effects dehydration can have. I want to go into a little more detail about how to optimally rehydrate yourself. First let me recap a couple of things.

A trained athlete can lose up to 3 liters of fluid per hour. Think about that for a moment. Picture a 3-liter container of Coke (there should not be one in your kitchen!) Now imagine sweating that much in one hour. That’s a lot of fluid lost from your body that needs to be replaced. For every 450 ml of fluid lost during exercise, you will lose about one pound of bodyweight. In other words, if you lose four pounds during your workout, you have lost almost 2 liters of fluid. With that amount of fluid loss, the body losses some of its ability to maintain its ideal core temperature, usually 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Muscular strength and endurance begin to decrease as well. With the above information and Lee’s article, you should now fully understand the importance of staying properly hydrated.

If you watch any Television at all, you probably think that the best way to replenish this lost fluid is by drinking a “high tech” sports drink like Gatorade or PowerAde, right? Wrong. These drinks are about as high tech as a phone made with two tin cans and a string in between. (There goes my chance for a big Gatorade endorsement contract.) The primary problem with these drinks is that they are too concentrated.

Now I need to go over a little physiology. Normally, physiology is about as fun as watching paint dry. So, for me to avoid putting you to sleep, why don’t you go take a Charge! capsule, then come back and read the rest in 30 minutes or so.

Welcome back. Now allow me to continue: The osmolarity of your body fluid is approximately 300 (milliosmoles per kilogram). A rehydration beverage needs to have an osmolarity lower than that of your body. In English, the concentration of the beverage should be less than the concentration of your body’s fluid. If it is not, and you drink a beverage that is more concentrated than your body’s fluid, your body will have to bring fluid into your intestinal tract from your blood stream in order to decrease the concentration of the fluid so that it can be absorbed. That’s exactly the opposite of what you want to do. You’re trying to get water into the bloodstream, not out of it. Drinking a concentrated beverage to rehydrate yourself is kind of like using water to put out a grease fire; it seems like it would work but it actually makes the problem worse.

A rehydration beverage should contain no more than nine grams of carbs per 8 oz serving. This will help to ensure that the osmolarity of the beverage is lower than that of your body. This is an over-simplified rule of thumb, but without going into molecular weight of different molecules and their effect on osmolarity and osmotic pressure, it will suffice. If you want to get a tad more complicated, you can look for a beverage that contains glucose polymers (maltodextrin) as the primary ingredient instead of sucrose, glucose, or high fructose corn syrup. The larger maltodextrin molecule does not raise the osmolarity of the solution as much as the smaller molecule sugars like sucrose.

Due to the fact that a substantial amount of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium) can be lost with prolonged activity, it’s important that your beverage of choice have electrolytes added. So, what is a good beverage for rehydration that has an osmolarity of less than 300? Pedialyte. Yeah, the wimpy baby-with-diarrhea-drink is far better than macho man Gatorade is! Sorry to burst your bubble. Pedialyte is specifically formulated to have an osmolarity of about 270 for optimal rehydration. If you’re not secure enough in your manhood to drink Pedialyte, you can dilute your sports drink by half or more to reduce the osmolarity. Keep in mind though, that you’ll dilute the electrolytes also. Eight ounces of Pedialyte has 187 mg of potassium while Gatorade has only 30 mg in its concentrated form. Dilute it by half and you’re down to 15 mg. That’s not so “high tech” after all. The ideal drink would have specific amounts of magnesium and calcium as well. However, to my knowledge, this has not yet been made commercially available.

Sifting through marketing hype can be tough. What we are led to believe is the latest and greatest is not always so. My goal is to help you filter out the nonsense and hearsay and get down to what is scientifically valid. Training and eating right are hard enough without wasting time on things that don’t work.

[Technotart]

YES YES YES!!!!!

Pedialyte is excellent for rehydration and the article is RIGHT ON THE MONEY!!! That is why, when you drink sports drinks you get THIRSTIER!!!

Pedialyte comes in flavors that are more palatable than the plain, and there are cheaper store brands available. It's usually in the baby food section at the grocery store.

[oroight]

Do you have "endura" hydration formula, with mag and calcium?

[runnergirl]

I have to say the the combative tone of the article is highly off-putting, I think the author would reach more people with a calm, reasoned argument. I agree gatorade is not great for endurance sports, it's just too sweet, and there's not enough sodium.

Pedialyte is too expensive though, I use the Clif electrolyte replacement (lemonade flavor), it's got a ton of potassium and sodium and isn't so sickeningly sweet. It's also organic, and at $15 for a giant canister of powder is much more reasonable than some of the other powders out there.

[Technotart]

The store brands of pedialyte are MUCH cheaper - a couple of bucks. They are the same as the pedialyte though.

[SimpleCycle]

Does pedialyte come in a powdered form, or do you have to buy the pre-mixed kind?

E-caps makes a straight electrolyte replacement called Endurolytes. You can take them as capsules or mix the powedered form into your water, although the end result tastes like salt water.

My question is, if you can only consume x grams of carbohydrate without dehydrating yourself, how do you keep yourself from bonking? On long rides, you need both sufficient hydration and nutrition. No matter what, you're going to increase the concentration of carbohydrate in your stomach at some point, and will need water to digest that. It's unavoidable. I wish he's explained a little more about how the maltodextrin figures into the equation.

A friend of mine got hyponatremia drinking Powerade on a hike of the grand canyon. The ER doc said they've taken to calling it "Powerade syndrome" because Powerade has so little sodium - less than half that in Gatorade. It never occurred to me that even in the commercial grocery store drinks, there can be a substantial difference.

[bikerchick68]

hmmmm... that's pretty interesting... gonna have to look into it more...

I currently use Cytomax... haven't compared it to gatorade but gatorade makes me sick to my stomach when riding so either way that's out for me... Cytomax isn't as icky sweet, comes in powder and seems to work really well, at least for me.

my bro did a double century a couple weeks ago and used e-caps... first time he used 'em but he swears he could tell the difference and benefit from them!

[Technotart]

It isnt the carbs so much - you can have carbs in your fluid. The problem is the lack of sodium in the stuff we drink. We should all mass email gatorade and tell them to make a REAL sports drink....

[snapdragen]

Most of the people I know that use Gatorade add their own salt to the bottle. I've not found any other sport drink besides G that I can stomach.

I've used the e-caps - they rock!

[spazzdog]

And I love Gatorade because it's NOT sweet... I can taste the salt in it.

Strange...

[Hound Dog]

I have been pondering this same issue for a while (just haven't had the time to deal with it).

I dilute Gatorade, for the reasons in the article.... I find it too strong at regular strength....it sits in my stomach unabsorbed. I also do not like the fact I am ingesting food colouring. :eek:

Come on Ladies... can we put our heads together an produce a home made sport drink that is more natural? Whatta about lemmon juice, sugar, salt, and whatever else we need??? (there has to be someone on this forum who is into this field of work)

I'm game to being a tester :D

[nuthatch]

Dianyla posted this a few weeks back:


For those that don't like the taste of most electrolyte drinks, you can make your own homemade drink using Morton's Lite Salt. You can find this at almost any grocery store, it's in a light blue canister, and contains both sodium chloride and potassium chloride.

A basic recipe:
1 teaspoon of "Morton's Lite Salt"
1/3 teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
10 teaspoons of table sugar (sucrose)
1 Quart of water

I believe you must have a certain amount of sugar in order to facilitate absorption of the salts, but not too much. If you decide to flavor this with something already sweet like juice you may need to decrease the amount of sugar you are adding. Google on "morton's lite salt" and "electrolyte" to find more recipes.

I tried this recipe and it was pretty dreadful (used koolaid mix as flavoring agent) but I've also tried adding the Lite salt to OJ and it's very tolerable. But someone would have to calculate if the osmolarity was right - any chemists in the crowd?

[Technotart]

Give me a couple of days - I am in the midst of studying, but when I am done I'll figure it out.

BTW - ANYTHING sweetened with sucrose is MUCH better for you than sweetened with "fructose" or "high frustose corn syryp". The body has a very different insulin and leptin response to sucrose and the fructose used in drinks. (Real fruit fructose in 100% juices is fine as long as corn fructose hasn't been added - they don't always say anything other than fructose though on the label.

My son came home with a case of drinks given to him by one of the team sponsers yesterday - ingredients: water, fructose, flavoring, sodium, potassium, vitamins and ASPARTAME?????

now WHY would you put aspartame in a SPORTS drink???? I swear the idiots at the companies that make some of this stuff need to study A) Human physiology B) Chemistry and C) Nutrition.

I am currently doing a research project on fructose sweetened soft drinks and juices. I don't think I will EVER drink anymore of them - making my own is sounding better and better.

[Technotart]

For anyone who is interested in the World Health Org's stance and a little more of the science behind Oral Rehydration Solution:


http://www.who.int/child-adolescent-health/New_Publications/CHILD_HEALTH/WHO_FCH_CAH_01.22.htm

ETA: This CDC/American Academy of Pediatrics article has a table which compares osmolarity of common soft drinks compared with rehyd fluids:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/RR/RR5216.pdf


And then this table I found on another web site

http://www.medicdirectsport.com/sportsnutrition/?step=4&pid=91

[betagirl]

I had a guy tell me recently to drink pedialyte as a recovery drink. I too use cytomax which seems to work a lot better for me than gatorade does. I can't stand powerade. Blech.

[KSH]

I guess my only *issue* is that I need something I can take on the road, and that will STAY COLD 2-3 hours later.

I pack my Camelback with ice and some water... and it stays nice and cool. I can still get cold water (in 90+ degree temperatures) 2-3-4 hours after I pack it.

Gatorade is so easy to get at the stores we stop at... whereas carrying around Pedialyte (? spelling) sounds like *effort*. And I can put it in my insulated water bottle with ice I suppose... but how is that going to taste 2 hours later?

[abarensfeld7]

MORE RECIPES!

These are from cptips.com. They are from the old-school camp, I think, not really kosher with the article originally posted on this thread, but people might like them.
Check out the last one (recipe #5), I haven't tried it yet, but it looks yummy!

HOMEMADE SPORTS DRINKS
For many years it was believed that a 2.5% concentration (glucose or glucose polymer molecules) was the maximum that could be tolerated without delaying gastric emptying and producing nausea. However a recent study of cyclists demonstrated normal gastric emptying with 6 to 8% solutions, and nausea occurred only when concentrations were pushed above 11%. The old standbys - fruit juices and cola drinks - have a sugar concentration of around 10% (a typical carbonated drink will contain 38 grams of sugar per 12 ounces with 140 Calories). Although sports drinks supplemented with glucose polymers can provide more Calories per quart at the target 10 - 11% concentration, studies have failed to demonstrate a performance advantage of complex carbohydrate drinks over those compoced of simple sugars if the same total Calories were ingested. The advantage of the polymers is the absence of a sweet taste and nauseating properties of high concentration glucose drinks, which can be a barrier to maintaining an adequate fluid intake.
Many people enjoy their own homemade versions of commercial sports drinks. The basic recipe is not complicated and homemade sports drinks can provide all of the same benefits when mixed properly. Gatorade (tm) is formulated to give the following per 8oz serving:

14grams Carbohydrate (5.9%)
110 mg Sodium
30mg Potassium
52 Calories
Alternatives to this commercial product can be made using one of the following recipes:

Recipe #1

10 tbs. sugar (5/8 cups or 120 grams)
.75 tsp Morton Lite salt (4.2 grams)
1 package of unsweetened Coolade mix for flavor
Water to make 2 liters
Nutrition Information (per 8 ounces). The recipe will give a total of 124 grams of solute which in 2 liters water gives a total of 6.2% concentration.
14.2 grams carbohydrate (6%)
53 calories
103 mg Sodium
121 mg Potassium
You'll notice that the amount of potassium is quite a bit higher than Gatorade, but the rest is pretty close. As excess potassium is eliminated from the body by the kidneys, and some experts feel a high potassium helps to minimize muscle cramps - and hypertension if taken long term - this is not necessarily bad. However, if you wanted to reduce the potassium to the level of a Gatorade product, another option would be to use 1/2 tsp. each of regular salt and the Morton Lite Salt. This would change the composition to:
104mg sodium
40mg potassium


Recipe #2 (if you wanted to reduce the amount of potassium, or simply didn't want to buy some Morton Lite Salt
1/2 cup orange juice
9 tbs. Sugar
3/8 tsp Salt
Water to 2 liters
Nutrition Information (per 8 ounces):

14.4 grams carb (6.1%)
104 mg sodium
28.4 mg Potassium
(you could substitute 2 tbs. of lemon juice for the orange juice and it would come out the same - or at least close).



Recipe #3 (using cups and quarts)
4 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup orange juice (not concentrate) or 2 tablespoons lemon juice
3-3/4 cups cold water
1. In the bottom of a pitcher, dissolve the sugar and salt in the hot water.
2. Add the juice and the remaining water; chill.
Yield: 1 quart
Nutrition Information (per 8 ounces):
Calories - 50
carbohydrate 12 grams
sodium 110 milligrams
potassium 30 milligrams


Recipe #4 (if you prefer an all fructose drink)
125 mL (1/2 c) orange juice (or other sugar-containing beverage)
125 mL (1/2 c) water
0.25 mL (pinch) salt
Nutrition Information (per 8 ounces):
Calories - 59
carbohydrates 14 grams
sodium - 118 mg


Recipe #5 Lemon-orange sports drink
1 caffeine-free lemon tea bag
Water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons orange juice
Bring 16 ounces of water to a boil.
Steep lemon tea bag.
Dissolve sugar and salt in the tea and let cool.
Combine the tea and orange juice and chill.
Nutrition Information (per 8 ounces):
Calories - 60
carbohydrates - 15g
sodium -130mg

[SadieKate]

My son came home with a case of drinks given to him by one of the team sponsers yesterday - ingredients: water, fructose, flavoring, sodium, potassium, vitamins and ASPARTAME?????

now WHY would you put aspartame in a SPORTS drink???? I swear the idiots at the companies that make some of this stuff need to study A) Human physiology B) Chemistry and C) Nutrition. Just curious as to what your argument against Aspartame is? Other than the controversy of the side effects of consuming too much.

[CorsairMac]

Just curious as to what your argument against Aspartame is? Other than the controversy of the side effects of consuming too much.

Aspartame has been linked to increased cases of MS and Lupus plus various and sundry eye and neurological disorders. It has also been shown to create insulin imbalance. Since Aspartame is sweeter tasting, manufacturers have started adding it to foods that already have sugar in them to heighten the sweetness. Asparatame has also been shown to increase sugar cravings (probably due to causing an insulin imbalance). There are currently several cases pending against the manufacturers of Aspartame due to the medical disorders it is causing.

(getting off my Aspartame soapbox)

[SadieKate]

Thanks, Corsiar. I'm just curious if she had other objections that weren't linked to the medical side effects issues.

[shortwavez]

what an informative article.that's for sharing :)

[chick on a bike]

Just curious as to what your argument against Aspartame is? Other than the controversy of the side effects of consuming too much.

Well aside from what CorsairMac said, here's an artical that my Aunt just sent me a couple of days ago in an e-mail. I have never liked aspertame and really don't like it now. :p


~Liz :p


"In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick, she had stomach spasms, she was having a hard time getting around; to walk was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed, she was in so much pain By March 2002, she had undergone biopsies, and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not figure out what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick, she knew she was dying.

She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter’s name, and made sure her younger children were to be with her oldest daughter.

She planned a trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd. On March 19th I called her to ask her how one of her tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on

Friend of mine emailed to me... and I asked her... Do you drink Diet pop?

She told me yes, as a matter of fact she was getting ready to crack one open that moment, I told her not to open it, and stop drinking the diet pop....and I emailed her the following article. She called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she stopped drinking the diet pop, and she can walk...she went up the stairs, and the muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't feel 100% but sure felt a lot better. She told me she was going to her doctors with this article and would call me back when she got home.

She called me, and her doctor was amazed, he is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweetener. In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the aspartame in the diet soda, dying a slow death.

When she got to FL March 22nd, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for poisoning....she is well on her way to recovery!....and she is walking!!! No wheelchair!!!! This article saved her life! The life saving article:

If it says "SUGAR FREE," on the label, DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on "ASPARTAME" marketed as 'NutraSweet,' 'Equal,' and 'Spoonful.' In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus, that it was hard to understand what toxin was causing this to be rampant. I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject.

I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature of this
sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to Formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants.) The methanol toxicity mimics among other conditions multiple sclerosis. People were being diagnosed with having multiple sclerosis in error. The multiple
sclerosis is not a death sentence, where methanol toxicity is!

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. The victim usually does not know that the aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use, irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become life-threatening. We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic once taken off diet sodas. In the case of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, (when in reality, the disease is methanol toxicity), most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases where vision returned and hearing improved markedly. This also applies to cases of tinnitus.

During a lecture I said "If you are using ASPARTAME (NutraSweet, Equal,
Spoonful, etc.) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss-you probably have ASPARTAME DISEASE!" People were jumping up during the lecture saying, I've got some of these symptoms: Is it reversible?" Yes, Not drinking diet sodas and keeping an eye out for aspartame on food labels, yes!

We have a very serious problem. A stranger came up to Dr. Espisto (one of my speakers) and me and said: "Could you tell me why so many people seem to be coming down with MS?" During a visit to a hospice, a nurse said that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence! Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, etc. IS NOT A DIET PRODUCT!

The Congressional Record states that it makes you crave carbohydrates and
will make you FAT. The formaldehyde stores in the fat cells, particularly no
significant increase in exercise, etc., Dr. Roberts in his lecture stated that he had patient who lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.

Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that physicians
would believe that they have a patient with retinopathy, when in fact the
symptoms are caused by aspartame. The aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are neurotoxic without the other amino acids found in protein. Thus it passes the blood brain barrier and deteriorates the neurons of the brain, causing in diabetics (as well as in patients not suffering from diabetes) various kinds of brain damage, seizures, depression, manic depression, panic attacks, rage, violence (The Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.

Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects i.e. mental retardation if
taken at the time of conception and early pregnancy. Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NOT be given NutraSweet. I can relate different case histories of children having mal seizures and other
disturbances being on NutraSweet.

Unfortunately it is not always easy to convince a mother that aspartame is
to blame for her child's illness. Only by trial and success will she be able to warn other mothers to take their children's health in their own hands.

Stevia, a sweet herb, NOT A MANUFACTURED ADDITIVE, which helps in the metabolism of sugar (which would be ideal for diabetics) has now been approved as a dietary supplement by the FDA. For years the FDA has outlawed this sweet food because of their loyalty to MONSANTO.

I assure you, MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame knows how deadly it is They fund among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association, the Conference of the American College of Physicians This has been exposed in the New York Times - to no avail. These Associations cannot Criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO beca use they take money from the food industry and have to endorse their products. Senator Howard Hetzenbaum wrote a bill that would have warned all infants, pregnant mothers and children of the dangers of aspartame. The bill would have also instituted independent studies on the problems existing in the population (seizures, changes in brain chemistry, changes neurological and behavioral; symptoms). It was killed by the powerful drug and chemical lobbies, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting public

[Dogmama]

In 1993, a double blind, NIH study was done on aspartame and its effect on people diagnosed with depression (like me.) The study was published and can be found on PubMed.

Long story short - this was the only study done on depression & aspartame. Out of 40 subjects who received aspartame, 13 had such bad reactions that the IRB (who oversees human subjects) shut the study down.

This was a peer reviewed, double blind NIH sponsored study not somebody's hysterics on the internet. And it was the only one.

Now, this is just observation, but anybody else notice how SSRI's such as Prozac have grown in popularity along with apartame use? Any beginning scientist will tell you that this doesn't prove anything - but I find it interesting.

I also know that Monsanto (who brings you aspartame) are big contributors to our legislators. Just check into why stevia (a natural, plant derived, non-caloric sweetener used all over the world) is not approved for use in the U.S.

<rant off>

[RoadRaven]

*in a cynical tone of voice*

Ah ... MONSANTO... my favourite :mad: company...

This is the company who also brought us hormone sprays that kill only weeds... and leave the plant you want to grow, growing...

So now we can spray hormone sprays across a whole field of maize or corn and all the weeds will die and the spray just gets absorbed "harmlessly" into the plants we will eat (or the animals we eat will eat)

Yup... fantastic company

[effulgent]

www.gatorade.com/endurance

This is a new Gatorade Endurance Formula, which is higher in sodium (200 mg vs 110mg) and potassium (90mg vs 30mg) but has the same amount of carbs (14g). Of course, you're paying for it, too - it costs about 50% more than regular Gatorade. But it is out there.

[Technotart]

That is definately good to know. Regular gatorade is just not enough for endurance!

I still swear by pedialyte - it does come in flavors if you just cant tolerate the regular kind, and the store brands are the same thing and much cheaper.

[mainerider]

Great discussion. I did a charity ride last weekend (112 mi day 1/80 mi day 2). It was pretty warm and sunny on day 1 and I started suffering about mile 70. This has been a typical problem for me on long hot rides over the past several years (I've done a couple of 200k brevets). I thought I had found a better solution (I used to carry two bottles of Gatorade, then switched to one water, one Gatorade which did work better) but with the suffering this year need to search out another solution. I've written down the suggestions and will try them out before my fall century ride.

Maureen

[DeniseGoldberg]

I can't say anything about the validity of that article, but I know what works for me, and a combination of water and Gatorade definitely does it. I carry water in my camelbak and Gatorade in my waterbottles. In my experience, on long rides I need both the Gatorade and food - just drinking Gatorade all day long does not provide the nutrients that I need. But just water and food doesn't work for me on long rides either...

On my cross-country ride (http://denise2002xc.crazyguyonabike.com) back in 2002, on long (70 mile range) hot days I was going through at least 72 ounces of water plus 6 to 8 water bottles of Gatorade plus food. And that doesn't include the liquid & food from breakfast and dinner... I made it through the hot days of summer without getting dehydrated. There were occassional days where I had energy problems but (in hindsight) they were due to not taking enough rest days; biking all day (almost) every day for weeks on end, my body somtimes complained.

--- Denise

[mainerider]

"In my experience, on long rides I need both the Gatorade and food - just drinking Gatorade all day long does not provide the nutrients that I need. But just water and food doesn't work for me on long rides either..."

" on long (70 mile range) hot days I was going through at least 72 ounces of water plus 6 to 8 water bottles of Gatorade plus food."

I do eat food in addition to water/gatorade. On my training rides I carry powerbars. On the supported rides I still carry power bars but also eat pb&j sandwiches and bananas that are usually offered.

I was surprised by the amount of gatorade you drink on long hot days. I'm not drinking anywhere near that for either the gatorade or water. Probably why I'm suffering?

Maureen

[DeniseGoldberg]

I was surprised by the amount of gatorade you drink on long hot days. I'm not drinking anywhere near that for either the gatorade or water. Probably why I'm suffering?

Maureen

It's possible. I had weeks on that trip - pretty much from western New York, through the mid-west, Missouri, Kansas, and into Colorado where the temperatures seems to hit 100+ in the sun every day. And in addition to riding myself, I was traveling solo and hauling a trailer. That certainly increases the exertion - but I think I would have been drinking that much even if I'd been traveling unencumbered by my gear (as in just doing normal day rides), to combat the heat and to support my activity level.

For what it's worth, here's a link to a press release from the American College of Sports Medicine on Preventing Hyponatremia and Dehydration: http://www.acsm.org/publications/newsreleases2005/HyponatremiaDehydration.htm.

--- Denise

[Helen]

Really ... what is the quantity of liquids you drink every day (including the drinks from your rides) ?
The 2L necessary quantity is a mith or not ?