The levels of exigency of the people who practice sport are higher and higher in order to achieve their goals.
Hydration, like a Healthy nutrition or adequate clothing, is a fundamental part of any athlete's performance, but what are the options? Which Is the most recommended? Are preferable isotonic drinks Or sea water to perform better in sport?
Why should you hydrate yourself?
Dehydration can occur in conditions of illness (gastroenteritis, cholera), situations of great heat or intense exercise. This produces a Alteration of water and mineral salts, resulting in a water deficit in the body around 3% or more. Combating it is necessary, otherwise We can develop from headache to, in the worst case, lead to death.
Some of the symptoms of dehydration such as thirst, nausea, headache, sleepiness, dizziness or fatigue prevent the proper functioning of the activity Sports, but they serve as an alarm to prevent possible physical damage during the exercise.
A high performance athlete usually loses between 1.5 and 3.5 liters per hour of demanding exercise. An amount that must be recovered before, During and after the activity.
The previous hydration is a very important part so that the athlete can perform during the exercise. It is recommended not to drink in excess, to avoid Feeling of bloating in the bladder and not causing an increase in urine that may lead to disruption or discomfort during exercise practice. The ideal is to first drink 0.5 liters of water a couple of hours before exercise and then about 200 mL during warm-up.
Once the physical activity is started, it is necessary a constant hydration so as not to force the organism more than what is exposed. Ideally, take Liquid every 10 or 20 minutes, as needed. Taking between 200 and 300 ml is an amount recommended by specialists.
At the end of the physical activity, it will be when the body notices more the lack of minerals and glucose, reason why its rehydration is important to be able Restore them. Intake of liquids and / or other fluids should be about 0.5 liters. It is important not to overdo the amount of water ingested, Could lead to kidney diseases such as hyponatremia.
Although these amounts are usually advised by specialists when it comes to good rehydration, all this depends on sex, age, weight, height And duration and intensity of the exercise. For example, people with high BMIs need to consume much more water because their Sweating is greater.
There are several options that are carried out to plan hydration, which we will list and evaluate.
Isotonic drinks
They were born with a clear purpose of helping athletes and have the approval of the scientific community. To date, its consumption has been extrapolated Only to the sport and it is frequent to find certain brands isotonic drinks in any premises of hospitality or food bazaar.
The isotonic drinks are composed mostly of water, which acts as the main replenisher of the lost organic liquid. In turn, the hydrates of Carbon drink mean about 9% of the drink, which comes in the form of sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltose). They also contain Electrolytes , Which are composed of minerals such as calcium, chloride, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium or potassium.
There are three major groups within isotonic drinks:
- Isotonic drinks . Preferred choice by most amateur and professional athletes. They replace fluids that are lost with sweating and, Thanks to the carbohydrates they contain, you will experience a performance boost.
- Hypotonic drinks . It is distinguished because it contains a low level of carbohydrates and very quickly replaces liquids lost by sweating. HE Recommends only use before physical activity. They have many successes between gymnasts or riders.
- Hypertonic beverages . They contain a high level of carbohydrates. It is only recommended in cases in which the athlete who, despite having Hydrated with isotonic or hypotonic drinks, do not experience the momentum they need. It should be consumed in situations where it is not Temperatures are mild and not required to take much liquid.
Isotonic beverages billed 3.2 trillion cans in the United States in 2014, reporting benefits of $ 5.7 trillion. Is a A trend that is in turn leading to more and more people with nutritional concerns preparing even their own isotonic drinks.
Seawater
More than 2/3 of our body is composed of water. It is an indispensable part of our body because it helps nourish our body or Maintaining a proper body temperature. Its intake is essential and, although there is no communion in quantity, it is recommended to drink between 1.5 and 2 Liters daily for a good functioning of the body.
Your intake for practicing sports is essential and very healthy, since it allows the body to use the fats to convert it into energy Allowing the tonification and therefore an improvement in aesthetics. In addition, it has extra benefits such as skin hydration and an improvement in Elasticity of muscles.
Like jogging barefoot or the paleolithic diet, the latest trend within minimalist practices has to do with hydration to Through sea water.
Even if we now talk about its benefits, we should put the context of this current somewhat.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the French scientist René Quinton developed a natural therapy in which he used seawater to Treat people. The basis of his study was that the components of seawater are the same as those of the cells of the human body by the Fact that life originated in the sea.
According to studies, seawater would provide all minerals and trace elements organically. This would be a handicap since they are not found Bioavailable, something that companies that sell with water work to be able to be suitable for the human organism.
These companies argue that their greatest benefit is the contribution of"fuel"minerals for further development of cell functions. Some of these minerals are phosphorus, sodium or potassium, essential in any diet of athletes.
It is true that the demineralization caused by sweating is one of the major problems of the athlete when it comes to muscle recovery, Performance or potential injury.
The sea water can be drunk after a microfiltration process, avoiding to modify the chemical composition of the water and therefore its properties, and to its Instead become a nutrient assimilable by the body.
The market sells two types of sea water: isotonic or hypertonic.
The isotonics are distinguished by lowering the salinity from 36 g / l to 9 g / l. Which contains our blood plasma. It is used by athletes as Any normal isotonic drink.
Hypertonics maintain salinity at the same levels. Although it is recommended to take it before the physical exercise, to have a concentration so high Of minerals allows a replacement of the same after a very demanding practice.
Like isotonic beverages, seawater can also be treated by being filtered through heat
Other options
Apart from water (sweet or sea) and isotonic drinks, there are several extra options that allow the performance in the sport through the consumption of Liquids.
Tea
Compounds such as vitamins (K, B2, B6, etc.), polyphenols, antioxidants or own teine (fat burning, glycogen saving, higher yield) contribute Some advantages for the practice of physical activity. There is a current that usually jogs first thing in the morning and totally in Fasting, supported only by the absorption of tea before starting to run.
Fruit juice
In addition to the function of hydration, it is especially indicated by nutritionists to perform sport. They are recommended to be natural, since These contain many vitamins and minerals that fit perfectly within the energy profile.
Coconut water
Composed in 95% water, it is characterized by being rich in Vitamin B and is a rich source of electrolytes and mineral salts such as magnesium and Potassium, very efficient for an increase in performance in athletes.
Energy drinks
Its consumption doubles that of isotonic beverages. Composed of caffeine, taurine and vitamins of group B, it is proven by several studies that increase Sports performance considerably. However, the side effects derived from caffeine such as insomnia or nervousness, put into Doubt that it is the best option for sports.
The world of nutrition is a field in which there are no absolute truths. The organism of each person contains characteristics very different from The rest and therefore opting for an option would not be the best way. In this case, we have deployed the characteristics of the drinks Isotonic, reigns among sportsmen and sea water, whose consumption is expanding.
Just as there are many types of bodies, you should also take into account the type of athlete and their activity to determine which is the best option. Isotonic drinks, for example, contain electrolytes, minerals present in the blood that carry a negative charge, some of which is lacking. Sea water although it tries to compensate with its more than complete amount of minerals in its composition.
In the case of both, their consumption should be moderate, since increasing the levels of minerals in your body can lead to the development of diseases in Kidney, cardiac arrhythmias or edema.
One of the virtues in which sea water takes advantage, according to the Departments of Prevention and Treatment of injuries of the Sportsman of the Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM), is the ability to cope with hypotonic hyponatremia, very common in athletes.
On the other hand, the sea water lacks the sugars that do bring the isotonic drinks, that is to say very acidic components for the organism. The water does not Contain sugar, is free of fats and therefore has no calories.
In terms of benefits or disadvantages less linked to performance, we can highlight that today isotonic drinks have a lower cost than the Sea water and its taste is modified to make it palatable.
Finally, it should be noted that, although research on water goes back from Ancient Greece, there are no corroborated studies Scientifically certify the benefits of those who echo the consumers of sea water to practice the sport.
Bibliography
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