Summer’s Up, The Heat’s Up, Then Let’s Water Up

By: Melody Dizon

 

You hear it all the time, drink your water, hydrate, finish your jug. You want to beat the heat by hydrating. Drink it up!!! You go to a store and the choices you are faced with are just insurmountable. You have Gatorade, Powerade, Vitamin water, to name a few. So what is good for me? How much should i drink? Melody, can you break this down for me? I get this question quite too often.

Okay, lets slow down for a minute.

First off, why do we need water?

Water is needed to help maintain a healthy metabolism. It helps control body´s temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and remove waste. Larry Kenney, PhD, a professor of physiology and kinesiology at Penn State, states that, “Hydration is important because the body is comprised mostly of water, and the proper balance between water and electrolytes in our bodies really determines how most of our systems function, including nerves and organs. It is a noncaloric fluid that plumps up our skin and hydrates every fiber of our muscles. It is the stuff of life.

So how much water do we really need?

A hydration expert from Loughborough University Research, Ronald J. Maughan, has shown little evidence that we should have at least 8 glasses of water each day to stay hydrated. A new “beverage hydration index” provides evidence- based suggestions for how to most efficiently hydrate, modelled after the well- known glycemic index. In a nutshell, the study finds that some fluids last longer in your body than others thereby providing you with more hydration. So there is no fixed rule as to how many glasses of water one should drink. The ratio however of one being dehydrated is far greater than one being overly hydrated. The hydration index could prove useful when making decisions on what beverages to consume and when going on a long trips and knowing there will be limited access to fluids or bathrooms. They say, you’d be smarter to drink milk with its high hydration index rather than water. “You should be drinking enough so that you urinate every two to four hours” says Clark, author of Nancy Clark’s Sports

Is it true that by the time you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated?

The feeling of thirst is our body´s signal that we need to drink. If we listen to our body, then we will know when to drink and exactly how much to drink. John Heiss, a former competitive downhill skier, cross country runner, and cyclist said that, “If you drink according to the body’s thirst indicators, you’ll be in pretty good shape.”

If I am not hydrated enough, should the color of urine change?

Urine color should be straw yellow amber which is an indication that you are well hydrated. If urine is clear, it can signify that your sodium is too low or what we call hyponatremia which can lead to serious complication. Per Heiss, drinking too much water can cause water intoxication. Excessive intake of water or sports drinks exceeding the ability of the body to eliminate fluids in the form of sweat and urine – is the major risk factor for exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH). Symptoms typically include headache, vomiting, confusion and seizures, resulting from swelling of the brain (cerebral edema). Without immediate treatment, severe hyponatremia can be fatal. According to a consensus statement on EAH in the June 2015 issue of the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, the best approach to preventing potentially serious reductions in blood sodium level is to drink when thirsty. “Using the innate thirst mechanism to guide fluid consumption is a strategy that should limit drinking in excess and developing hyponatremia (low blood sodium) while providing sufficient fluid to prevent excessive dehydration,” according to the report’s lead author Tamara Hew-Butler of Oakland University.

If I exercise, I should drink more water, right?

There is no one-size-fits-all prescription when it comes to hydration. There are many factors to consider – weight, size, humidity, hours of exercise, disease condition, altitude and many others.

Should I be drinking a sports drink when i hit the gym?

Not necessarily. Someone working out very casually for an hour can simply have water, Heiss says. But if you’re doing pretty intense exercise or working out for longer than an hour, he suggests a sports drink that contains a mixture of minerals in particular sodium and carbohydrates should suffice. When you exercise heavily, you lose water and salt in your sweat. Gatorade contains these electrolytes and athletes lose those in sweat easily and they benefit from these kind of drinks, says Steven Zeisel, MD, PHD, chairman of nutrition at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Are all sports drink healthy?

Only if you exercise at a high intensity and/or for sustained durations, sports drinks can help boost performance. But if you don’t do sports, you don’t need a sports drink.“A sports drink and soft drink contain similar amounts of sugar, so if you’re drinking either without doing any exercise, it’s probably inappropriate,” Heiss says. I agree with what he says. Studies have also shown a link between consumption of sports drinks and irreversible damage to the teeth – the high acidity levels in the drinks erode tooth enamel, the glossy outer layer of the tooth. So, drink with purpose and in moderation.

Today’s true sports drinks are still the classic Gatorade — packed with the electrolytes potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium to provide energy during intense workouts per WebMD. “The amount of sugar in the sports drinks is relatively small compared to the amount of sugar someone burns in exercise. But clearly, it’s better than nothing as a calorie source.”

Aren´t Gatorade, Powerade, Vitamin Water and such. all the same?

There are minute differences between different brands. That being said:

1. When choosing a drink, go with what suits your taste- cranberry vs pomegranate vs blackberry, etc. Water is flat tasting so when you add a light flavouring and a few antioxidant vitamins, though not intended to help performance, says Mary Horn, MS, a research scientist at the Sports Institute, flavourings in beverages “encourages the exerciser or athlete to drink more and stay hydrated better.” Research shows that both the taste and sodium content of a sports drink naturally make people drink more of it, so they get the hydration they need.”

2. Then find something that your stomach digests easily like what type of sugar the sports drink contains; glucose is more easily digested than other sugars sucrose, which is tougher to digest and leaves you feeling bloated Some minerals, such as sodium citrate and potassium citrate dissolve more easily and are used by the body more easily.

3. Look for a drink that has between 250mg and 600mg of sodium, 300mg of potassium and 25 grams of carbs per 500ml serving, Heiss suggests to avoid any artificial flavours, sweeteners, colours and chemicals.

Will i collapse when i get dehydrated?

“If you get dehydrated, you’ll fatigue, easily overheat and have muscle weakness, Symptoms of severe dehydration include altered behavior, such as severe anxiety, confusion, or not being able to stay awake; faintness that is not relieved by lying down; an inability to stand or walk; rapid breathing; a weak, rapid pulse; and loss of consciousness, and that necessitates a 911 call as you are risking yourself with heat stroke or another heat-related illness

So folks, without water, we know our body begins to shut down though not immediately. You´ll get your body´s warning signs. So even before you get there, remember to hydrate, remember that good hydration should make you pee every 2-4 hrs. Drink when you are thirsty and a good ole water will do. Remember that your urine will not necessarily be clear in color indicating well hydration but amber like. There are many sources of water. We can get them in the food we eat, fruits and meat. Let´s treat our body kindly? Shall we? Have a well hydrated summer po sa inyong lahat. Hanggang sa muli.

CPRTV’s “Health Matters” Host, Melody Dizon.