Some athletes, particularly those who practice on consecutive days in the heat and humidity, may need to pay closer attention to their salt intake, according to Dr. Verle Valentine of Sanford Sports Medicine in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Writing in the journal Current Sports Medicine Reports, he lays out some advice for athletes working hard in the heat.
One way for athletes to estimate how much sodium they are losing through sweat is to weigh themselves before and after a workout, according to Valentine. Someone who loses 5 pounds or more, he told Reuters Health, may be shedding more sodium than can be replaced from a normal diet.
For these athletes, a little extra salt in the diet -- from salty snacks like pretzels and canned soups, or a couple shakes of the salt shaker -- may be a good thing. Rehydrating with a sports drink rather than plain water may also be a good idea, Valentine pointed out, since sports drinks contain sodium and other electrolytes.
For weekend warriors and other occasional exercisers, a lack of sodium is unlikely to be a concern, according to Valentine.
"In most cases the regular exerciser is getting adequate salt intake from a regular diet," he said.
What's more, too much sodium can be harmful, Valentine added, especially for people who already have high blood pressure or heart problems.
Still, he said, some everyday exercisers -- particularly those who exercise daily in the heat and humidity -- might consider weighing themselves to see how much fluid they lose from a typical workout.
"If this person loses more than 5 pounds during an exercise session," Valentine said, "then it may be a sign that they are losing more sodium than (is being replaced in) their normal dietary intake."
SOURCE: Current Sports Medicine Reports, August 2007.
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