Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesLaugesen
If I'm struggling I use electrolyte tablets, potassium salt and magnesium, but I try to avoid needing to 'boost' like that. IMO it only indicates that I've been eating crap... like a burger for breakfast hahaha.
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Unless you are a high level athlete most people don't need electrolyte tablets, and these can actually be dangerous. Excess potassium can lend to cardiac dysfunction, as can magnesium. Magnesium is also a potent osmotic laxative, and if you ingest too high a concentration of salts in general too rapidly this can pull water from your body into your gut, which will wash out as diarrhea (this can also make your body acidotic as you lose bicarb from the gut, along with other electrolytes, not to mention diarrhea makes you feel crappy).
Since you mentioned racing I'm guessing you're a cyclist and have had some experience using them. I wouldn't suggest the average lay person use any kind of salt or electrolyte tablets though.
Another reason I favor the powdered sports drink mix over the bottled mix is because it contains granulated sucrose sugar (glucose and fructose) or just glucose. Bottled mixes contain solely high fructose corn syrup for sweetening. The problem with fructose is that your body metabolizes it differently than glucose; it is still used to produce energy, but you 1. have less of an insulin response and so slower uptake into muscles of fructose sources, and 2. it is more favorably stored as fat than glucose sources. These are two great reasons not to drink sodas as well.