Hi, anyone know if there is much of a difference between regular salt and the special endurance-specific salt tablets? I checked the salt/sodium argument thread but couldnt find much info on this. Aside from salt tablets being easier to take while in motion, are there any other benefits?
Cheers.
more palatable
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table salt might have trace amounts of potassium and other salts, but it’s mostly sodium (and iodine). Salt tablets usually have potassium in a larger quantities.
Thanks for the responses.
I just found this Q&A response from Dr. Sanjay (from CNN) just in case anyone is interested. My main problem is nausea, so i think i’ll try the salt packets first.
Triathlete.com: Are you using salt tablets?
Dr. Gupta: No. Actually, what is happening is once triathletes are into the race they are starting to get hypokalemic, which is blood going away from the intestines. The blood is going to where you need it, like your arms and legs and so your intestines slow down, which are why some people get nauseated. It’s the same thing with salt tablets. They will just sit in your stomach and are not getting absorbed and so they are not doing you much good in terms of getting into your body. So taking salt packets goes straight into you. There was a physiologist I was talking to at the end of the race and we just started having this conversation and I told him I’ve tried the salt packets a few times and it works and works quickly.
Take a look at the Base Electrolyte Salts. I use this on my food and I use to add it to bottles but now I use FE products so I don’t have to but this is a pretty good option.
Oh lord, if I had nausea problems, the absolute last thing I would ingest is straight table salt. Instant vomit.
i get a bottle of buffered sodium pills from cvs. 8 bucks abottle of 100 pills. i only use them on long runs and rides in mid summer when its really hot. i have not noticed a difference from these and the more expensive salt tablets.
I drink Pickle Juice Sport. http://www.goldenpicklejuice.com/ 16 oz. has 1780mg of sodium in it, 140mg of potassium. I don’t mind the taste, and it seems to work better than just the tablets for me.
A pinch of Guérande sea salt per litre of sugar water - no problems ever.
if you take a lot, be careful with excessive iodine intake. Kosher salt is fine, though. That’s what I used to use for a long time during training on hot days. But it’s ONLY salt.
The good “salt” tablets actually contain a lot more than salt. SaltStick is the best, and it also contains magnesium, pottasium, and calcium (along with vit D to help calcium absorption), all of which you will lose to sweat. Sweat is more than just sodium & chloride.
You DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY about iodine excess from iodized salt, the concentrations are too low, and the higher the calorie expenditure, the more iodine is required. Yes, too much iodine can be a problem if you suddenly start eating sea vegetables or lots of sushi (the seaweed paper, aka Nori, is very high in iodine). In the US, people consume about 240 micrograms of iodine a day. In Japan, its 12,000 micrograms (12 mg). The problem is the sudden jump in iodine, especially if you have thyroid issues.
http://cycnut.com/forums/topic/1469-iodine-and-your-thyroid/
Turns out iodine deficient goiter in the US is up a factor of 10X since the early 1990s. The cause, the media and high sodium diets causing high blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke. As such, people have gone to “healthy” salt substitutes like sea salt (which is not iodized and has very low iodine levels).
Tom
this is what I posted in a similar thread but applicable:
what I do is a little different but here it is…
I use mostly just First Endurance Liq. Shot and I mix Base Salts into that, sometimes many scoops , other a few. Will depend on how hot, but I only carry one bottle with water between bars, the first bottle will always have 2-3 scoops of the Base Salts. I find it very affordable and works better than other ones I have tried, luckily the First End products have tons of electrolytes already.