[pct-l] potassium

[Brick Robbins <brick@fastpack.com>]

At 03:00 PM 3/19/00 , PCTResearch <pctresearch@pcthiker.com> wrote:
>  But sodium is not the main
>mineral lost in sweat, potassium is the one to watch for.

Wrong, but a common mistake, often repeated. Here is a research report excerpt 

==begin excerpt==
The NaCl  lost over three hours of exercise and the complete restoration of the fluid and electrolyte losses in three hours of exercise can only be achieved by the consumption of ~10 g of NaCl in food over a 24 hr period.

Potassium is the major intracellular ion and is lost from the body in sweat and urine during exercise. However these losses are small (<1 gm even during very prolonged exercise) and are replaced by the normal daily dietary intake of 2-4 g. There is no evidence that potassium supplementation is required by the physically active.
==end excerpt==
Report from the World Forum on Physical Activity and Sport, Quebec City, Canada 19th 21st May, 1995
http://www.fred.net/ultrunr/noakes.html


>Sodium is generally not a problem because of all the processed and packaged
>foods that make up a good portion of our trail diet are generally high is
>sodium. 

Inadequate sodium can be a very big problem in the SoCal region, and is why electrolyte replacement drinks (gatoraide, etc)are essential in that section. Inadequate salt intake can cause swelling in the extremities which often leads to blisters as well as a host of other problems.
http://www.fred.net/ultrunr/hyponatremia.html

Eat lots of salt on the lots of food you will be eating


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