Quote:
Originally Posted by pdurrant
Do you think this also applies in colder countries? I can certainly see it's necessary in hot countries to replace salt lost through sweat.
Anyway, iced water in my cup.  |
It's not so much a question of temperature as it is of physiology. In order for the body to take in liquids into the cell structure, it needs to be a certain percentage of 'salt.' The doctors call it 'physiologic saline solution.' If there isn't enough 'salt' (read:
correct minerals. It's a mixture of several different salts; potassium, magnesium, sodium, etc.) the body will try to balance the liquid to make it a physiologic saline solution. This is why your fingers 'prune' when you've been in the swimming pool (fresh water) too long, or get slightly swollen when in the ocean (salt) too long.
So before the body can 'use' plain water (i.e. quench your thirst,) it needs to first add some salts to it that it leaches from the rest of your body, to convert it into physiologic saline solution. It leaches MORE salts in hot weather than cold, simply because you tend to drink more as well as lose more through sweat. But if you drink an ER-type sports drink, the body can instantly utilize it. It doesn't need to do any conversions. Unfortunately, 99.9% of these electrolyte replacement drinks taste vile... but they work.
Stitchawl