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It doesn't make much difference in the UK but when it's really hot (summer in Europe) if I'm on raw carb energy drink with no salt I get cramp and headaches. Are you really saying drink plain water or unsalted maltodextrine?
Those Livestrong articles are hardly clear-
Hyponatremia occurs when your blood levels of sodium fall below 135 mEq/L, the Mayo Clinic notes. Exercise-related versions of the disorder most commonly appear in athletes who participate in activities such as triathlons or marathons, and result from excessive water consumption combined with the loss of sodium through sweating.
A different section on 'what are the treatments for high sodium levels says -
Appropriate amounts of [b]water, juices and other fluids[/b] consumed during the course of a day may help to prevent high sodium levels.
I can't see anything that says 'don't drink isotonic drinks' or 'only drink plain water' but obviously you don't want to overdo it.
http://www.sportsscientists.com/2007/11/sports-drinks-sweat-and-electrolytes_27.html
"So in fact ingesting Gatorade to thirst in younger subjects results in a rise in sodium concentration, which is why you drink more---you never lower your osmolality below the thirst threshold and therefore are thirstier when ingesting a sports drink, whereas with water you maintain the osmolality right around the thirst threshold and drink and abstain as your thirst comes and goes. With sports drinks you instead just get thirstier, which seems kind of ironic since their slogan is "The thirst quencher!""
Sport nutrition: an introduction to energy production and performance
By Asker Jeukendrup, Michael Gleeson
Pages 214-215
"The ideal drink for fluid replacement during exercise is one that tastes good to the athlete, does not cause gastrointestinal discomfort when consumed in large volumes (this rules out all fizzy carbonated drinks), promotes rapid gastric emptying and fluid absorption to help maintain extracellular fluid volume, and provides energy in the form of carbohydrates for the working muscles. Exercise subjects prefer cool, pleasantly flavoured, sweetend beverages, and the presence of sodium in the drinks seems to promote their consumption, probably by maintaining thirst."
macavity have you ever tasted your sweat? does it taste salty?
mine does.