Electrolytes are having a second. In the event you head to your native grocery retailer or vitamin store, you’ll discover rows of electrolyte-infused powders, tablets, and drinks that declare to rehydrate you shortly and successfully.
There may be one product, particularly, that many athletes are testing out: salt capsules. The tiny white tablets, which include a concentrated quantity of sodium chloride, have exploded in reputation on TikTok, with many individuals swearing the capsules have taken their athletic efficiency to the following degree.
I referred to as up two sports activities dietitians who work with endurance athletes and requested them what they actually take into consideration salt capsules. They have been in settlement: the common athlete shouldn’t hassle messing with them.
“Most individuals who train don’t want salt capsules; nonetheless, for endurance athletes and individuals who train in scorching environments or at very high-intensity ranges, salt tablets might be helpful,” says Allison Childress, a registered dietitian and affiliate professor within the Division of Dietary Sciences at Texas Tech College.
What’s the Hype with Salt Drugs?
Perspiring throughout vigorous train causes you to lose plenty of fluids and electrolytes, together with sodium, potassium, and calcium. In the event you don’t substitute these misplaced electrolytes, you possibly can develop into dehydrated.
With out sufficient fluids in your physique, you possibly can anticipate your muscle perform, athletic efficiency, and cognition to take successful. “You’re finally going to need to decelerate or cease exercising,” says Jena Brown, a sports activities dietitian for endurance athletes and proprietor of the vitamin teaching service Victorem Efficiency Diet.
In the event you drink an excessive amount of water or solely drink water, says Childress, throughout extended train—4 hours or extra (for instance, marathons or Ironman distance triathlons), you possibly can wind up with a severe situation referred to as exercise-induced hyponatremia. This electrolyte imbalance happens when you’ve gotten too-low sodium ranges in your blood as the surplus water dilutes salt focus. This could set off cramping, fatigue, confusion, and low blood stress, in line with the Nationwide Kidney Basis.
“Quite a lot of athletes understand salt tablets as a security web that’ll shield them from hyponatremia,” says Childress. The attract is clear: salt capsules, in idea, provide athletes a fast resolution after they’re on the go. However can a tiny tablet really preserve you quenched throughout and after prolonged exercises?
Figuring Out How Many Salt Drugs to Absorb a Day
Figuring out what number of salt capsules to take—and when to have them—is a fragile dance. Even when, say, you and your buddy are backpacking alongside the identical precise route, the quantity of electrolytes it is best to ingest might range, probably considerably, from the quantity your pal requires, Brown says. Your rehydration wants largely rely upon how a lot you sweat (and the way a lot sodium is in your sweat) as a result of some individuals expel extra salt than others.
The one approach to know, for positive, how a lot sodium chloride you want after a tricky day on the path is to conduct a sweat check to measure your sweat price and composition. “If an athlete is aware of how a lot sodium they lose, they will substitute it to the T,” Childress says.
Sodium focus, or the quantity of sodium in your sweat, varies extensively from individual to individual, says Childress, however, on common, individuals lose about 1 gram or 1,000 milligrams (mg) of sodium per liter of sweat. So, when you sweat out a liter of fluids—and subsequently about 1,000 mg of sodium—you’d need to take a salt tablet that has 1,000 mg of sodium throughout (or proper after) your exercise to replenish the misplaced salt, Childress explains.
In the event you’re searching for a sweat check to find out salt loss, get in contact with a sports activities dietitian. They will measure how a lot fluid you lose throughout train and calculate your sweat electrolyte focus. That manner, you received’t need to guess what you might want to ingest to remain hydrated. If you wish to determine how a lot sweat you lose, a sweat price check is useful; this entails weighing your self on a toilet scale earlier than and after an intense exercise. (Learn right here about the right way to do one at dwelling.)
Sure. It Is Attainable to Take Too Many Salt Drugs.
Right here’s the difficulty: most individuals wing it. As a result of they’re unlikely to understand how a lot sodium they lose of their sweat, they’ll pop just a few salt capsules, hoping to rehydrate. However taking too many (salt capsules typically are available a 200- to 400-milligram dose) can wreak havoc in your physique. “The draw back is you possibly can overdose on them fairly simply when you don’t know what you’re doing,” Childress says. When that occurs, you possibly can develop hypernatremia, a situation the place there’s an excessive amount of sodium within the blood, which causes extreme thirst, nausea, confusion, muscle weak spot, and dizziness.
Hypernatremia and hyponatremia can look and feel related—so some individuals might develop weak spot and assume they’re dehydrated when, actually, their sodium ranges are manner too excessive. Then, they’ll take much more salt capsules and exacerbate the difficulty. In very excessive circumstances, this may trigger individuals to break down or have a seizure.
You Don’t Want Salt Drugs—Hydrate This Manner As a substitute
Athletes need to watch out about what number of salt tablets they take, Childress says. Not solely are salt capsules pointless for athletes, however they’re additionally probably harmful.
Nonetheless, when you’re nonetheless set on taking salt capsules, begin with a low dose, says Childress, and be sure to drink sufficient water with them. “You’re not going to have any hydration profit when you’re taking salt capsules and never consuming fluid. They go collectively,” Brown says.
In the event you don’t assume salt capsules are definitely worth the hype, you possibly can skip them altogether. Brown recommends consuming 16 ounces of fluid per hour that you just’re figuring out. In the event you’re an excellent sweater, chances are you’ll need to up that to (at most) 1 liter per hour, she provides.
A simple approach to test your hydration ranges is by evaluating your urine. In case your pee is darkish otherwise you’re going to the toilet much less ceaselessly than normal, it is best to enhance your fluid consumption. Clear pee suggests you’re over-hydrated and will use some electrolytes, Brown says. The aim is on your pee to seem like mild lemonade, she says.
Go for a Salty Snack or a Piece of Fruit
For these exercising no less than three hours or in scorching situations, alternate between consuming water and sports activities drinks to maintain your electrolytes in stability, Childress says. You can too munch on water-rich fruit and veggies like watermelon, cantaloupe, celery, or broccoli.
To revive your sodium ranges, as an alternative of a salt tablet, throw in one thing extra satisfying, like a bag of pretzels or salted nuts, unfold cheese on just a few crackers, or seize some chips, she says.
In the event you, like me, don’t preserve monitor of your sweat or water consumption, then merely drink to thirst, suggests Childress. Lastly, if you wish to nail your hydration sport, your finest guess is to speak to a sports activities dietitian. She explains, “It’s actually definitely worth the time and money to satisfy with an expert who can run the sweat assessments and design an individualized hydration technique.”
