It may work if your deficiency is salt.
But there are other minerals involved. Rather take a full spectrum mineral supplement like Hammer's Endurolytes or some such. Or drink a balanced drink with the required electrolytes in. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Donald Klopper (GMail) Sent: 04 April 2013 15:31 To: [email protected] Subject: [D&D-chat] Salt tablets to stop cramping? A friend sent me this... and in my experience, I think the author (unknown) is on to something. Should I be taking salt tablets during an Ironman? Sodium or salt tablets are actually not absolutely necessary in an endurance event. If you have trained in conditions of similar temperature to the racing conditions then you will have no issues as far as proper hydration goes your body will be perfectly adapted to them. Scientific research has shown that sweat is predominantly hypo-tonic meaning more fluid is lost due to sweat as opposed to salt. Generally when we sweat our sodium levels can become more concentrated due to more fluid as opposed to salt loss and consuming fluid will balance this out. Over consuming fluid however will lead to electrolyte dilution and in that case can be an issue. Dr Ross Tucker interestingly demonstrated research done on sports drinks that had high levels of sodium and potassium in them and showed the impact on electrolyte balance was actually negligible. It all boiled down to hydration management and that is consuming when you are thirsty and not preempting thirst. The most critical factor is not to over hydrate. In the case of where you are racing in much hotter conditions than you are used to during training, then a salt tablet might not be a bad idea as your body will lose a lot more fluid and minerals due to poor acclimatization. This should always however be experimented with and not done on guess work. Dehydration is not a major cause of cramping by any means. The major cause is under trained muscles or possibly over hydrating. Balance your fluid intake with thirst and you will be fine. -- Donald Klopper [email protected] -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DarkAndDirty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/darkanddirty?hl=en. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. ******************************************************************************************************* Disclaimer: Denel SOC Ltd t/a Denel Aviation, Registration number: 1992/001337/07 This message and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the addressee. If you have received this message in error, please notify Denel Aviation immediately, telephone number +27 11 927 4357 and by Reply email to sender. Any unauthorised use, alteration or dissemination of the contents of this email is strictly prohibited.In no event will Denel Aviation or the sender be liable in any manner whatsoever to any person for any loss or any direct, indirect, special or consequential damages arising from use of this email or any linked website, including, without limitation, from any lost profits, business interruption, loss of programmes or other data that may be stored on any information handling system or otherwise from any assurance that this email is virus free even if Denel Aviation is expressly advised of the possibility of such damages. ******************************************************************************************************* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DarkAndDirty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/darkanddirty?hl=en. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
