Ridecamp: RE: [RC] Re. B.C.A.A. Complex

Hey Rob;

Have you ever ridden a horse?

Bob

Bob Morris
Morris Endurance Enterprises
Boise, ID

-----Original Message-----
From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Rob
Sent: Saturday, June 29, 2002 3:00 PM
To: ridecamp; Scott
Subject: [RC] Re. B.C.A.A. Complex


Bob:

There's more to electrolytes than salt (NaCl). Which is
actually the
cation Na+ with the anion Cl- attached to it. Electrolytes
are broken
down into two groups. Cations and Anions. Here's a list of
them.
Cations: Na+, K+, Ca++, and Mg++. The Anions are: Cl-,
HCO3-,
HPO4-2/H2PO4-, SO4-2, Organic acids, and protein (as anion)
average
plasma concentration is around 16 mEq/L. This is a portion
of a group of
compounds referred to as major solutes.  Then there's the
Hydrogen ion
H+, and pH. And the Non-electrolytes: Protein, with sub
group Albumin,
and Globulins, Fibrinogen, and Glucose. And finally the
blood gasses
pO2, and pCO2.

All of the above compounds are related to, and affected by
the balance
of body water. There are three major fluid compartments in
which fluids
containing these elements. Plasma,  Interstital fluid (fluid
between
cellular structures), and Intracellular fluid (fluid within
the cells).
Water balance is governed by by intake of fluids or food
containing
water, as well as by the generation of water due to
metabolism of
proteins, fats, and carbohydrates (which amounts to about
5mL/kg/day),
versus loss through the urine, feces, respiratory tract, and
skin (up to
12L/hour for a working horse on a hot day).

Drinking is controlled by thirst, which in turn is induced
mainly by
plasma hypertonicity or a contracted extracellular fluid
volume,
although several other mechanisms may be involved. If plasma
becomes
hypertonic because of water loss , osmoreceptors in the
supraoptic
nucleus are stimulated to release antidiuretic hormone or
vasopressin
from the neurohypophysis. ADH increases the permeability of
the distal
renal tubules to water only, so that the water that is then
reabsorbed
reduces ECF tonicity. ADH release also occurs via neural
pathways when
ECF volume is markedly reduced due to dehydration or
hemorrhage. Another
critical response to hypovolemia (reduction of blood volume)
is
activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. This
response is
initiated by volume receptors in the renal juxtaglomerular
apparatus,
through which renin is released. Renin (an enzyme) promotes
the
formation of angiotensin I in the plasma, which in turn is
converted to
angiotensin II in the lungs. Angiotensin II results in the
release of
aldosterone from the adrenal cortex. Aldosterone promotes
the
reabsorption of sodium (Na+) from the distal renal tubes in
exchange for
potassium (K+) and hydrogen (H+) which are then excreted. As
plasma
becomes hypertonic due to increasing sodium levels, ADH is
released and
water retention is facilitated.

Angiotensin II is also an active vasoconstrictor, which is
fine if your
horse is bleeding but not good if it's being made to travel
at 22 KPH
with 20% of it's body weight upon it's back in a dehydrated
condition.
Vasoconstriction results in the decrease of blood flow,
which in turn
decreases nutrients being carried to working muscles, as
well as a
decrease in the removal of some metabolic byproducts that
are harmful to
muscle tissue. Feeding salt to an animal already
experiencing excessive
hypotonic fluid loss can lead to hypernatremia which can
manifest itself
as dry mucous membranes, constipation, (impaction colic)
hyperpyrexia,
(Abnormally high fever) muscle tremors, and in advanced
cases
convulsions.

The electrolytes that need to be replaced are the ones that
are
excreted. Salt, or I should say the components of salt, Na+
and Cl- are
rarely found to be deficient. More often times Na+ and Cl-
are found to
be too high. This is caused by people with your line of
thinking that
salt is electrolytes. Salt contains some electrolytes and
those it
contains aren't lost in the amounts that potassium (K+) is.
Which is
vital for good pulse recovery times, and proper cardiac
rhythms. And
magnesium (Mg++), and Calcium (Ca++) which are required for
working
muscles.

The topic of electrolytes gets even more complex as you get
into the
electrical aspect of it. Take for instance chloride balance.
Chloride
(Cl-) is the major extracellular anion (103-110 mEq/L). It
is ingested
with food and drinking water and is freely absorbed from the
GI tract.
Although chloride readily follows the cationic Na+ in a
passive fashion
when diffusion occurs across cellular membranes, in certain
select sites
such as the ascending loop of Henle, a specialized carrier
transport
system for Cl- is present and in these cases it is Na+ that
follows
passively. Cl- is present in most secretions with Na+ except
in gastric
juice in which Cl- and H+ are responsible for the acidity.
In the ECF,
Cl- and bicarbonate (HCO3-) are inversely related to one
another. For
example, with a constant plasma anion gap (made up of
organic acids,
phosphates, sulfate and protein), if Cl- decreases, HCO3-
will increase
proportionately, and vice versa. Depending on the body's
need for HCO3-,
more or less Cl- is excreted in the urine as the ammonium
salt. This
permits Na+ exchange for H+ since the tubule secretes
ammonia and H+
into the lumen, and in exchange Na+ and HCO3- return to the
plasma. The
regulation of Cl- concentration in the ECF is directly but
passively
related to Na+ concentration (all body fluids are
electrically neutral).

Rob





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