It would be better to consume electrolyte drinks – which contain sodium and potassium – before and during physical exertion than plain water to avoid cramps.
- When a cramp appears, it is necessary to immediately stop physical exertion.
- To avoid them, electrolyte drinks would be more effective than plain water.
Do not wait to be thirsty to drink. This advice, valid for the whole population, is even more so for athletes. During physical exertion, perspiration leads to a loss of water which can be significant and therefore requires drinking during the session. Staying hydrated is also known to prevent cramps. But is this belief real? Not really according to a recent study published in the journal Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition… According to the researchers, consuming electrolyte drinks would be much better to reduce the risk of cramps after a sports activity.
Stretch and massage yourself to get rid of a cramp
Cramps are an involuntary, sudden, intense and painful contraction of a muscle. When they appear during exercise, it is recommended to stop sports or physical activity… Because yes, a cramp can also appear during a simple swim, when you do housework or gardening. To stop the pain, you must then gently stretch and/or massage the affected area. Among other things, the cramps can be due to the lack of glycogen – a type of carbohydrate present in the muscles -, potassium, calcium, sodium or even magnesium. It is for this reason that researchers have worked on the role of electrolyte drinks. Usually these contain carbohydrates and electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium and magnesium.
Water does not necessarily prevent the onset of cramps…
“Many people believe that dehydration causes muscle cramps and will drink plain water during sports to prevent cramps.explains Ken Nosaka, one of the authors of the study. We found that people who only drink plain water before and after a workout are more vulnerable to cramps. This is probably because pure water dilutes the concentration of electrolytes in our body and does not replace what is lost during sweating.”. To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed ten people who ran between 40 minutes and an hour on a treadmill. In order for them to sweat, the scientists set the room temperature to 35 degrees.
…electrolyte drinks are more recommended
All participants drank during and after the exercise. Some of them had electrolyte drinks while the others drank plain water. After the session, the volunteers’ calves were electrically stimulated to induce muscle cramps.
“We found that the electrical intensity needed to cause cramps was greater when people drank electrolyte drinks, but decreased when they consumed plain water.says Ken Nosaka. This proves that muscles are more prone to cramping with plain water and therefore less sensitive with electrolyte drinks. Electrolytes are essential for good health, they help the body to absorb water more efficiently (…) and help replace (faster) minerals lost through sweat. People should drink these beverages instead of plain water during moderate to intense exercise, especially in very hot weather or when you have diarrhea or vomiting”.
Further research will soon be conducted to determine the ideal amount of electrolytes needed to avoid muscle cramps. At the same time, they also want to study the benefits of these drinks for the elderly and pregnant women.
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