Recent Years Have Seen An Increased Awareness Of The Importance Of Proper Hydration And Supplementation In Exercise And General Health.
Our understanding of the importance of hydration and the correct supplementation has come a long way in recent times. Going back to the early days of marathon running, athletes were actually advised that they didn’t need to take on fluids — and in fact, were told to avoid them altogether.
This dubious reasoning was based on the fact that marathon runners were weighed after each race, and the person who won was usually the one who had lost the most body weight. Therefore, runners were actually advised to become dehydrated in order to perform better.
When it was realised that this was a flawed and dangerous philosophy, the world of hydration advice instantly did a complete about-turn and many athletes were told to cram as much fluids into themselves as possible. In particular, it was thought that this over-hydration could prevent heat exhaustion.
The fact is, everybody becomes dehydrated at some time and to some level — it only becomes a problem when the dehydration is allowed to get to a level where it becomes dangerous. Research has guided us away from this ‘all or nothing’ approach, to a more nuanced way of thinking.
SUPPLEMENTS
A fact sheet on supplementation from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that in the US, two-thirds of 3,887 adult and adolescent elite track and field athletes participating in world championship competitions took one or more dietary supplements. These supplements contain ingredients that include vitamins, minerals, creatine, caffeine, and amino acids. The use of these supplements increased with age, and was significantly more common among women than men.
Most of us can stay hydrated simply by drinking enough water and it is increasingly clear that staying hydrated has many positive overall health benefits. This includes transporting nutrients throughout the body and compounds in blood, better digestion, passing waste products in urine, regulating body temperature, and keeping bowel movements regular. It also helps the body to send electrical messages between cells. This helps organs to function, muscles to contract and relax, and even helps the eyes to focus properly.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) recommends that women drink around eight 200ml glasses of water each, and men drink 10 glasses of 200ml each day. That equates to about 1.6 litres for women, and about two litres of water per day for men. However, these recommendations can vary from country-to-country and if somebody is exercising, such as running, they will need more intense hydration. Sometimes, when people struggle to achieve adequate water intake, adding a f lavoured supplement can help.
THE TYPES OF ELECTROLYTES IN CHEMISTRY CAN BE DIVIDED INTO STRONG OR WEAK CATEGORIES
For athletes and those exercising, the NIH notes a number of selected ingredients in dietary supplements that may be beneficial for performance and overall wellbeing. The comprehensive list includes mechanism of action, evidence of efficacy, research findings, evidence of safety, and any reported adverse effects. However, brief ly, the basic ingredients include:
Antioxidants: These include vitamins C and E, and coenzyme Q10. These help to minimise free-radical damage to the bones, which reduces pain, inflammation, and muscle fatigue.
Arginine: This is an amino acid that helps the body to build protein. As well as in supplements, it is also found in poultry, soy, whole grains, beans, dairy products, and fish. It helps the body to produce creatine, increases secretion of human growth hormone, stimulates muscle growth, and helps the f low of blood and delivery of oxygen and nutrients to skeletal muscle.
Beet juice or beetroot: Improves energy production and dilates blood vessels in exercising muscles. However, there are “limited clinical trials with conf licting results” to back up these claims.
Caffeine: This blocks activity in the neuromodulator adenosine and reduces perceived pain and exertion. It may enhance performance in endurance-type activities such as running, as well as activities with longer duration when taken before exercise.
Creatine: This helps to supply muscles with energy for short-term, mostly anaerobic activity, and is most suitable for high-intensity, intermittent exercise.
Proteins: These help to build, maintain, and repair muscles and optimise muscle function during exercise and in the recovery period.
Sodium bicarbonate: There are small, short-term clinical trials suggesting sodium bicarbonate may provide a minor-to-moderate benefit for short-term and intermittent high-intensity exercise. This may help the body to dispose of hydrogen ions that result from intense muscle activity, therefore reducing fatigue.
ELECTROLYTES
The body of the average adult is made up of around 60 per cent water, and an important part of this f luid is electrolytes. These are substances that have a natural positive or negative electrical charge when dissolved in water and almost every f luid and cell in the body contains electrolytes. As well as a number of other functions, these electrolytes help our bodies to maintain the balance between f luids inside and outside your cells and regulate chemical reactions.
We normally get enough electrolytes from food and drink, but we lose a lot of them when we sweat. Our muscles use small electrical charges to contract, and electrolytes are important to this process. According to the Cleveland Clinic in the US: “The key principle that electrolytes rely on is that certain chemical elements can naturally hold a positive or a negative electrical charge. When those elements are dissolved in a liquid, that liquid can then conduct electricity.”
The types of electrolytes in chemistry can be divided into strong or weak categories. Their mechanism of action is illustrated in the graphic below, which is provided courtesy of Science Notes.
The IHF recommends that the easiest way to assess whether you are getting enough hydration is to check the colour of your urine. If it is pale or clear, you are probably getting enough hydration. If it is dark, more hydration is probably needed to f lush waste products from the body.
Stomach issues such as diarrhoea can also leave the body dehydrated and in these cases, a supplement can help to bring hydration levels back up to normal. People with irritable bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome may suffer with diarrhoea more frequently, and so may need extra hydration.
Over-consumption of some supplements can create problems for the user, including toxicity. If you are in any doubt about recommending a product to a customer, check with the pharmacist on duty.
SOLUTIONS
The ORS range provides hydration in a number of forms. These include ORS Hydration Tablets, which enhance ordinary drinking water with electrolytes, minerals, and vitamins to aid in hydration. We lose electrolytes like potassium, chloride, and sodium via sweat, and ORS Hydration Tablets are pharmacist-designed to replace electrolytes and minerals lost during exercise. They are available in three f lavours (lemon, strawberry, and blackcurrant) and are suitable for adults and children.
To reduce tiredness and fatigue, Cleanmarine Magnesium 60 Capsules are highly absorbable, 100 per cent pure magnesium citrate in capsule form, to support sleep, the nervous system, muscles, blood sugar regulation, and general bone health. Magnesium is a micronutrient and is the fourth-most abundant mineral in the body, with the majority found in the skeleton and the rest in muscle, soft tissue, and blood. It plays an important role in assisting more than 300 enzymes to carry out various chemical reactions in the body such as building proteins and strong bones, regulating blood sugar, blood pressure, and muscle and nerve functions. These capsules are free from soy, gluten, and dairy products and have no fillers or sweeteners.
STOMACH ISSUES SUCH AS DIARRHOEA CAN ALSO LEAVE THE BODY DEHYDRATED
For relief from dehydration due to diarrhoea, the Dioralyte range has a number of options. These include Dioralyte Relief Blackcurrant Six Sachets, which are recommended for the replacement of essential body water and salts in the treatment of acute diarrhoea. During diarrhoea, the body loses water and salts. Dioralyte relief replaces these, while at the same time helping watery stools return to normal more rapidly. Early use is important to avoid dehydration, especially in the young and elderly. They come in a pleasant-tasting powder for oral solution and are suitable for adults and children aged over three months.
Also in the range is Dioralyte Blackcurrant Sachets – 20 Pack. These are also indicated for the replacement of essential body f luids and salts that are lost in acute diarrhoea in adults, children, and infants. For infants, and where fresh drinking water is not available, they should be used in boiled water that has cooled.
Revive Active 30 Sachets are proven to boost energy and can be mixed with water or juice. They contain 26 natural active ingredients like CoQ10 (Coenzyme q10), L-Arginine, and natural f lavours and contain no artificial colourings.
AYA Electrolyte Blackcurrant 20 Tablets provide a rapid hydration formula with vitamins and minerals. They also contain essential minerals, including magnesium, which contributes towards electrolyte balance and is essential for taking water into the cells effectively. The formulation also includes vitamins B and C, which aid towards normal energy yielding metabolism and a reduction in tiredness and fatigue to promote general wellbeing. Effervescent tablets dissolve instantly in water and the nutrients are absorbed quickly in the body.