The bottle lists the following per cap:
Chloride 350mg (as sodium chloride and potassium chloride)
Sodium 215mg (as 550 mg sodium chloride)
I’m looking for sodium for cramp management.
So, when I take a Salt Stick Cap, am a I taking 350mg of “sodium” or 215 mg of “sodium” or 550 mg of “sodium” or 565 mg of “sodium” (the latter being 350mg + 215mg).
I’m confused. How much “sodium” is in one of these caps? I thought “sodium” and “sodium chloride” were both salt.
Each has 215mg of sodium.
A salt is just positively charged atoms (cations) stuck to negatively charged atoms (anions). Sodium is a cation that hooks up chloride (an anion) to form a salt. As you see, these contain 2 salts: sodium chloride and potassium chloride.
My question is: What makes you think you need salt at all? And why sodium specifically? And what magic number are hoping to eat?
Sodium is a metal. Sodium chloride is a salt. It just so happens to be the one we use for culinary purposes and so just call it “salt”. (Potassium chloride is also a salt, just not what we call salt colloquially.)
Chloride is an ion of chlorine and is presumably available to the body as it processes the sodium chloride and potassium chloride. I believe chloride ions are also useful to the body, hence being called out separately on the ingredients.
That label basically says 215mg of sodium, provided as 550mg of salt.
I had previously assumed that the 215mg was the number I was looking for, but had never really confirmed that, so I much appreciate the replies - a chemistry major I am not!
I’ve been using Salt Caps in the 4 prior IMs as well as in the hotter halfs. In an IM I’ve been taking 3 of those caps every hour or so while on the bike and then I continue on the run at about the same rate. I had a problem in Kona in 2012 when I got behind (distracted by a nasty headwind on the bike) and cramped badly about 10 miles into the run. Hit the electrolyte drinks hard and managed to recover.
Prior to this, I’d had a series of cramping episodes before using sodium during the race. You can’t always be sure about these things, but once I started in with the salt regimen, I never had that problem. Doesn’t bother my stomach, so seems like I keep the plan.