When making race concotions I use carbo pro and a little gatorade and then take themolyte salt tabs. If I get my fuid to about 4-6% solution and then I add about 800-1000mg sodium per hour---how much does that change the osmality and concentration of my fluid? It appears that if you just chase everything with straight water you should be ok but if the osmality of my fluid is 4-6% I shouldn't have to chase with water. How much do the electrolytes increase the concentration?
Thanks
Bump
.
My high school Chemistry is way too rusty, so I can’t answer the question in form you pose it.
I can tell you what I do that works well. I mix Carbo Pro to a concentration of about 1200 calories per bottle, which will last for about three hours. Sometimes I add a little Gatoraid. I take one or two salt tablets per hour on a hot day. I never drink from the Carbo Pro without taking straight water with it.
I have never had a stomach problem except one time when I didn’t drink enough water. In that case, I just quickly drink more water and the problem went away promptly.
Hope this helps.
Yes, sodium does affect osmolality. As long as you don’t exceed 1 gram of salt per liter of fluid containing a 4-8% carbohydrate concentration, the osmolality will remain in an optimal range. It sounds like you are a bit over this if you are mixing your Carbo-Pro with Gatorade and adding a gram of salt to the mix so I’d recommend taperering back on the Thermolytes a bit. Check out InfinIT Nutrition’s website for more information on osmolality (www.infinitnutrition.com).
Healthy regards,
Kim Mueller, MS, RD
Sports Nutritionist
www.kbnutrition.com