Electrolytes, Are They Worth Their Weight?

[Adrian Adams]

I have been using Electrolytes on and off in pill form, but cannot tell how much benefit I am getting.  Some sources claim that your body uses the water it does have more efficiently.  How many folks find Electrolytes helpful while hiking hot and dry country?

[Gator Paddler]

I don’t usually do hot and dry, but I do sweat A LOT. I find keeping ahead of electrolyte problems, usually with Nuun or equivalent, really keeps the cramps at bay. Before trying this, I could expect a bout of cramps at least once on a week-long trip, but now I rarely have any problems.

[Greg Mihalik]

Duration and the food you are eating has a lot to do with “supplementing”.  A good gage is the amount of water you are consuming, as each liter of sweat pushes out about 1 gram of sodium.  Of course you start your day with plenty, but after hour 3 or 4 you need to pay attention to maintaining your sodium balance, especially if it is going to be a 12+ hour day of high output and a lot of water along the way. Solid food can contain a lot of sodium, but more than likely you will be operating at a deficit.

Only field testing will determine what works best for you.

There are extensive threads here on electrolytes and how to manage them.

[Matthew / BPL]

I’m confident I experienced hyponatremia on a long, hot hike where I decided to bring only raw almonds and dried cranberries for food. My doctor and WFA instructor agreed based on the symptoms I experienced (nauseau, muscle weakness, headache, fatigue). I’m a fairly strong hiker and know what is normal for me. I could hardly walk 100 yards at a time that day. Very scary

I now carry electrolyte packets and have a couple electrolyte tablets in my FAK. My $.02 is that it’s a good idea to carry a tablet or two with you and be sure you eat some salty snacks or a NUUN tablet every now and then, particularly when sweating a lot. It seems like cheap insurance.

[Greg Mihalik]

The “00”, when filled with table salt will  hold about 500mg of sodium, which is the amount lost through 0.5 liter of sweat.  (The gel cap costs about 5 cents, the table salt under a penny.)

A single “Nunn Active” tablet contains  360 mg of sodium.

One ounce of Lays Stax Potato Chips contains  449 mg of sodium. ($1 for a 5.34 oz can.)

Ignore the marketing, read the labels, do the math. Learn how much water you consume.  Test before it matters.

[Gator Paddler]

I don’t know if the type of electrolyte matters or not, but I try to find the ones with a large amount of potassium and that also have magnesium and calcium.

[Arthur]

I had a long discussion with a friend of mine who is a nephrologist.  Electrolyte expert, in other words. His summary is that unless you are eating nothing and perspiring tremendously for a long period of time, you do not need any electrolyte supplements.  This assumes you are eating SOMETHING.  Even a hand full of processed food in our culture supplies plenty of electrolytes, especially sodium, the main problem.

[Kenneth Keating]

I find them very helpful in maintaining my need to eat.  Without, I’m not hungry at all during the day and evening and find myself not eating enough.

[Author]

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