Supplements of Mineral Salts

The supplements of mineral salts are among the few products of the category to be universally accepted as useful substances for athletes. However, this statement is valid only if the physical activity is carried out under specific conditions.

First of all, saline integration becomes essential only during long-lasting sports performances (gran-fund, marathon, triathlon, etc.), while it is completely useless in very short races such as sprinting.

Even more important are the environmental factors since the losses of mineral salts increase considerably when sports are practiced in hot-humid environments. A liter of sweat, for example, contains about 1.5 grams of salt and it is not at all strange that an athlete loses from 1 to 5 liters due to intense sweating (about 3l / h in case of intense physical activity performed in particularly hot environments).

A workout that lasts for three or four hours can cause sodium chloride losses in the order of 8-15 grams. Considering that the normal diet provides "only" 6-10 grams of salt, it is understandable that in similar situations it is particularly important to use saline supplements.

The most important minerals are chlorine and in particular sodium and potassium which work together in our body to regulate the osmolarity of intracellular and extra-cellular fluids.

If the increased sodium requirement can be covered simply by salting the food more than usual or adding a pinch of salt in the water bottles, increasing the intake of potassium and magnesium with the diet is not so simple. The intake is in fact close to the recommended minimum levels and may become insufficient due to intense sporting activity.

A chronic depletion of these mineral salts can lead to a reduction in performance up to cause important symptoms such as: muscle fatigue, nausea, muscle tremors, cramps and cardiovascular collapse.

The supplements of mineral salts do not serve "to make you go stronger" but "to ensure an adequate supply of these substances" in conditions of particularly long and intense physical effort

Sodium

Food sources	Salt (NaCl) milk, cheese, meat, eggs, etc.
Functions	Regulates membrane permeability and osmotic pressure Intervenes in the transmission of the nervous impulse Contributes to the regulation of acid-base balance Contributes to maintaining water balance
Deficiency symptoms	Hyponatremia is rather rare and occurs, outside certain pathological conditions, in the case of extreme sweating not accompanied by adequate restoration of lost mineral salts.
Symptoms of excess	Hypertension
Daily requirement	2000- 3000 mg

Potassium

Food sources	Fresh fruits and vegetables (not preserved), meat, milk, legumes, cereals
Functions	Regulates membrane permeability and osmotic pressure Contributes to the regulation of acid-base balance Contributes to maintaining water balance It intervenes in the muscular contraction and in the transmission of the nervous impulse
Deficiency symptoms	Rare, only in the case of excessive losses due to gastrointestinal (vomiting, diarrhea) or urinary (diuretics); includes neuromuscular fatigue and cardiac changes
Symptoms of excess	Ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest
Daily requirement	3100 mg

Chlorine

Food sources	Salt (NaCl)
Functions	Participate in maintaining osmotic pressure Contributes to the regulation of acid-base balance Contributes to maintaining water balance It is a constituent of gastric juice (HCl)
Deficiency symptoms	Rare, only in case of excessive gastroenteric leakage (vomiting, diarrhea) Loss of appetite, muscle cramps
Symptoms of excess	very rare
Daily requirement	2000 - 5000 mg

Some advices

First take care of the diet by consuming at least five portions of vegetables and fresh vegetables a day

don't worry about the amount of sodium contained in the water you drink. A sportsman, especially in the summer period, in fact needs mineralized waters which, unlike oligomineral ones (often improperly recommended to fight water retention and cellulite) ensure a fair supply of mineral salts and avoid the risk of hyponatremia (or hyposodemia: reduced blood sodium concentration)

in the race or during an intense physical training it is very important to keep yourself well hydrated by drinking a lot of water, however it is good not to overdo it. The risk of hyponatremia is in fact high if you take a lot of fluids during the competition; this risk can be significantly lowered if small quantities of sodium are added to the water (about one gram of salt per liter)

It is wrong to avoid drinking because of the fear of sweating excessively (sweating is essential for regulating body temperature) or getting fat (water does not supply calories)

To be quickly absorbed, the water must be moderately chilled (about 10 ° C), it must not be hyperosmolar (so be careful not to overdo it with the addition of mineral salts) but isotonic (ie similar to the saline concentration of the cells) and must contain minimal amounts of carbohydrates (5-8%, but less than 10%). For the same reason it is good to respect the doses of intake that are usually indicated on the packages.

At the end of a race or a particularly intense physical effort you can take advantage of the consumption of mineralized water (fixed residue of about 1 g / l), bicarbonate-alkaline-earthy, both to replenish the loss of liquids and mineral salts due to sweating, both to favor the elimination of nitrogenous waste and correct the acidosis caused by muscle fatigue (remember that the main alkalizing foods in order of power are: figs, dried apricots, spinach, dates, beets, carrots, celery, pineapple, tomatoes, cherries, bananas, oranges)

Do not dress with insulating clothes that do not allow the evaporation of sweat: this expedient does not help to lose weight and subjects the body to unnecessary stress (the risk of dehydration becomes high).

In the section on nutrition you can find all the information on the individual mineral salts (biological role, absorption, food sources and symptoms of deficiency or excess).