I often use electrolyte tablets on long road rides, say 100 mile trips and have always got on okay with them. Usually use Nuun or High 5 Zero tabs.

I picked up some more tabs from Aldi (Elite Nutrition Nordic, Electrolyte sports drink) that I leave in my desk at work and use every now and then when I’ve been cycle commuting (36 miles/56km per day) as I never drink enough fluid on the commute.

However, I have noticed that whenever I use these tabs I get a headache. Nothing massive, just a noticeable headache a couple of hours after drinking.

Even if i just use half a tab to ensure I’m not making it too strong I feel the same.

Now the obvious answer is to just stop using them and throw them away but I’m interested in why these should make me feel this way.

Any ideas?

caffeine?

Probably all sorts of other chemicals in them causing issues. I can’t stand stuff with aspartame – makes me feel sick very quickly.

good point. I have been caffeine free since 2008 and that would certainly do it but i just checked the ingredients and it doesn’t mention caffeine

ingredients are:

– Acid citric acid
– acidity regulator sodium hydrogen carbonate
– sweetener sorbitol
– magnesium carbonate
– potassium citrate
– maltodextrin
– flavour lemon
– acid malic acid
– anticaking agent polyethylene glycol
– beetroot powder
– L-ascorbic acid
– sweetener sucralose
– colour riboflavin
– green tea extract (camelia sinensis 0.025%)

Wouldn’t maltodextrin mean these are actually energy tablets rather than just plain electrolyte tabs?

Not a nutritionist or doctor so would only be speculating.

Ingredients list looks typical for that kind of product. I usually avoid the sweetners like sorbitol and xylitol. They can be fairly scary laxatives – had some glucose tabs a while back from ASDA that had it in, didn’t notice, wasn’t well for a few hours 🙁

Compare with the High Five\Nuun ingredients and see what’s different. If I had to guess it would be one of the colours or flavours not agreeing with you.

Sorbitol and Sucralose can cause headaches. The “lemon flavour” sounds a bit suspect if its not natural lemon extract.

Sucralose is pretty much inert, there’s no evidence I’ve seen yet in any research to suggest it causes headaches. There are plenty of the anti-sweetner tinfoil hat websites suggesting otherwise but no really peer reviewed scientific studies that I’ve seen.

Research does not show any hazards or risks unless you’re eating the about half your body weight a day.

I had a very close look at sweetners research when I got the diabetes diagnosis. I’d be more concerned about sugar itself 🙂

Don’t know about sorbitol as I don’t touch it, it has an effect on blood sugar still and also gives you the galloping trots – which can be funny.

http://www.amazon.com/Haribo-SUGAR-Classic-Gummi-Bears/product-reviews/B006J1FBLM

cheers all, wife has been Type 1 diabetic since aged 13 and I’m well aware of the laxative effect of artificial sweeteners 😈

interesting comments all round.

I can’t easily find the detailed ingredients of High 5 zero tabs online to compare. Will dig out the tube when i get home this evening and see if they are any different.

Perhaps they have the same impact but I just don’t notice it when I’m out on the road rather than sitting at my desk.

Doesn’t green tea extract contain caffeine, unless it explicitly says “decaffeinated”?

I can’t help with the OP’s question but if I have High 5 stuff, I’m puking for a day after.

I can only tolerate SIS or CNP

ive seen the karimoor hydration tabs in sports direct that you can only take 1 day. Its basically like berocca!!!