Carbos or Water

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Beth Glace winorpin@aol.com
Truman wrote:
"On the other hand there are a lot of people who will get sick after the intake of Gator aid over extended periods of exercise. I being one.  ....It was reported to her that it is common and it is the "sugar" in Gator Aid , Power Aid, etc., that causes the problems. ...... extended period of exercise.  He suggested a different electrolyte -- one with no sugars --  product and it really helped her. ........ Disclaimer: Like any "one rat" experiment, the above post makes not claim of any statistical validity  -- since there isn't any statistical validity to lay claim to in one rat experiments -- nor does it make any claim to the effect on the population as a whole."
Hi Truman,
I love your disclaimer.  Of course when you do an experiment to look at absorption of sports drinks, you bring in a group of people and look to see what type of beverage is best absorbed.  What has been found is that -- typically -- a beverage of up to 8% carb with small amounts  of salt will be absorbed as quickly as water.  However, you are sure to find a few individuals that can tolerate significantly less and some that tolerate significantly more. You clearly fall in the intolerant group.  Some folks I know can tolerate only the smallest amounts of plain water or they cramp and belch are just miserable.  They are limited during very prolonged, moderately high intensity racing since they just can't stay hydrated.  Even though science says "we can tolerate such and such", we must all interpret this as guidelines.  Common sense and personal experience will must always temper the  "scientific" findings.  Some things you could try, though, to ease your discomfort with sports drinks:
1.  avoid fructose or fruit sugars.  These are well associated with bloating, diarrhea, and cramping during exercise.
2.  find sports drinks that provide a variety of sugars.  You can go to our web site at www.nismat.org, and look under the "nutrition" corner for a greater explanation of why this might help.
3.  you can try to dilute the drink by 1/3 or so to find a solution that works for you.
Truman, can you manage solid foods if followed by a good deal of water?
Happy holidays,
Beth Glace
Klass Act



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