We love you from the inside too 😉

16stone pig

the point is that a lot of what is written about fluid and electolyte replacement is confused and poor science.

On a cellular/ gross physiological level then yes we are all the same under the skin!

If you drank 3 litres of electrolytes at isotonic levels then thats 27 grammes of salt – or your full weekly requirement and more. Or if the isotonic is produced by sugar 150 gammes of sugar or 600 calaries of sugar again a huge amount over your required amount in a healthy diet.

I used to get bad headaches after a ride cured by half a tablespoon of salt in an orange drink. It does work. Never needed it during a ride although maybe I would if I rode all day.

16stonepig

Goodness me, there are a lot of experts on my particular physiology, aren’t there?

What? Are you telling us you’re not human? 🙂

Half a tablespoon? do you mean half a teaspoon cos half a tablespoon is way too much salt

TJ, I have explained that I have particular problems with hydration, and how I deal with the symptoms. It’s no good chucking the theory at me and telling me I’m wrong about my own experience of 15 years of sweaty cycling.

@16stonepig have seen a GP to see why this may be the case your digestion is slow, you’ve asked for help but provided no medical history. Fluids and salts are absorbed pretty quickly through smooth muscle so I’m intrigued.

My digestion was crap due to stomach inflammation but meds sorted that a few years ago, I never really had problems absorbing water though.

https://www.precisionhydration.com/

Heard about this company on a Trainer Road podcast. They do a sweat test.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ask-a-cycling-coach-trainerroad-podcast/id1035433041?i=1000450130052

People do sweat differently, here is a bit of literature that refers to the fact (just did a quick Google Scholar search).

I am confused about this “cellular level”. That is where it all happens, if there are any differences between individuals’ physiologies that happens at a cellular level.

The point both crikey and I was making is that the consumption of isotonic drinks is a muddle of misconceptions and bad science poorly applied and advertising masquerading as science- and that the body regulates its fluid and salt content on a cellular level and we all do it the same way unless you have weird metobolic diseases

Erm, I was never asking for medical advice, but as @molgrips said further up there ^, we are talking about individuals, not an ideal spherical human in a vacuum.

But to clarify – I sweat constantly, even when sitting still. I have chronic digestive issues (and the only answer I can get out of my GP is to maybe eat more cabbage, or less cabbage, I dunno, here’s a leaflet).
I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, have very aggressive allergies, asthma, get muscle cramps and tics even without exercising.

You’d be forgiven for being amazed I ever even ride a bike, but I do. And when I do, I rely heavily on electrolyte solutions to aid my endurance. If I don’t use them, I will have a crippling headache for hours after a ride, regardless of how much water I drink. Oddly, they even aid my concentration and reflexes, allowing me to ride much more confidently.

So, we’re all individuals, and the medical paperwork does not negate the fact that I have done the following very scientific experiment:

1: OBSERVE that I dehydrate and suffer cramps when cycling.
2: HYPOTHESISE that a lack of electrolytes causes this.
3: EXPERIMENT by adding an electrolyte supplement to my drinking water and checking the results.
4: REPEAT the above many many many times.

RIGHT – now that’s out of the way – is there any harm in me buying some food grade Mg,K,Ca chlorides and mixing up a concentrated solution myself in ratios similar to my current supplement? It could potentially save me money and the hassle of ordering a new bottle every few months.

NO problem at all with making up your own. None. Its just a mix of salts of various kinds sometimes with sugar.

Be careful of ending up with too much salt or sugar consumption overall – they are not good for you. As above 3l of isotonic solution of salts is more than your entire weekly desirable amount of slats and this can lead to high blood pressure and cardiac issues

Do you think yo might have some sort of malabsorbtion syndrome?

Do you think yo might have some sort of malabsorbtion syndrome?

That is an entirely other discussion, which this forum is not the best place for, but thanks for the concern.

I am actually now thinking about experimenting with a solution of everything except sodium, or at least reduced sodium, since sodium is bloody everywhere.

Watch out for too much magnesium and calcium as well. I seem to remember that can cause cardiac issues as well but that dug right out from the back of my memory.

You should be able to find good data on this on the net – look for maximum amounts of the electrolytes

@tjagain – we may all do it in the same way, but it is chemistry not computing, so different people may do it to different extents. Which is not to rule out the possibility that genetic differences mean that some individuals do it a bit differently as well.