More context (for those interested) If you want to work with me 1:1 on your training and nutrition, apply here: www.healthmastery.co Some notes: Electrolytes are vital for life and we need to get them via our diet, but for most people in developed countries, there's not necessarily a need to supplement with them. We do sweat out electrolytes, but it's mainly sodium and chloride which are the two minerals with are in the greatest quantity in the extracellular space (our blood). With that said our sweat is less salty than our blood, so our blood becomes more salty (relatively speaking) if we lose body water. So for most people, they will end up finishing their sport or exercise slightly dehydrated (loss in body weight) which isn't always a bad thing (infact gaining body weight or maintaining over longer exercise bouts can be dangerous). At some point though, there will be a high water turnover, for example in an ultra marathon someone could sweat a total of 10+ litres. In cases like this it would be wise to supplement with sodium. I talked about specifics in the video (at present the only science we have is based on modelling by Dr Alan McCubbin, everything else is just guessing). So for endurance athletes or people with high water turnover, sodium replacement is going to be something you might consider. The other electrolytes have not been shown to need replacing either because they have shown not to be necessary when studied or simply have not been studied (for example chloride). When it comes to working in heat, we could technically compare that to endurance sport. Is it realistic to think that someone working out doors would sweat just as much as the average person playing basketball (I have my doubts as you would be soaked in sweat constantly). It is also noteworthy to mention that when someone in working in heat they take breaks and eat food that will often contain sodium (such as a sandwich). Are there downsides to taking in electrolytes? Well kind of. Firstly, money but that might not be an issue for some. Second, increasing your blood osmolality too much (making it saltier than it already is) can decrease sweating as your body tires to balance out the sodium concentration again, this can lead to an increase in core body temperature and actually make performance worse. Overall, this is a really interesting area and there is a limited amount of research in this area. In my opinion, based on the research and asking some of these questions directly to Dr McCubbin, I think many people using these are simply wasting their money. I'm not trying to tell you to take or not to take electrolytes as it will always come down to the individual and their needs. If you would like to read more check out this mini-series: www.mysportscience.com/post/are-electrolytes-important-for-athletes
Bruh why you not say this in the video sounding like you were coming for Derek. His main point is just that prime shouldn’t be marketed as a drink for professional athletes. Sounds like you don’t disagree.
@@JamiePettengell I don’t think his formula is warranted for most people or necessarily backed by any scientific evidence, that’s the main point of my video. My video is talking about the product, not about Derek. Some of the stuff here is included, I just re-emphasised it but people will only watch so much and I decided to keep it shorter.
Hey Adam, I love your research/data based videos. Could you please also do an overview of multi-vitamins and what makes a good/bad one and whether the more expensive brands are actually significantly better than the others? In your AG1 video you mentioned that most people can simply get what AG1 provides from a third party certified multi-vitamin supplement but would love to hear more about it. And if the answer is that "no, all of the multi-vitamins are more-or-less the same then it probably doesn't warrant a full video :). Either way would love to hear your take on it.
Well explained and another great video, Adam. Many people forget how much water and minerals are in fruits & veg - then you add 2-3L fluids a day, most people will be more than covered. The average person will not be sweating enough for an electrolyte supplement.
Love your channel! Fantastic resource to remind me not to waste money on unnecessary supplements. I think we’re so bombarded with advertising on these products it reduces our critical thinking about whether it’s actually necessary. Can you do a video on Huel? As the largest of the meal replacement products, it’d be interesting to get your take on it.
I have been asked to look into it, as it's a food product without really any major claims it's hard to break it down, like a protein powder, not much to say. But I will look into it. Thanks for the comment!
would be cool to hear your opinion on his other products. I bought gorilla mind smooth and pre workout on a whim. I noticed slight improvement on my exercises like a few reps with the pre-workout even as a heavy coffee drinker. But still divided on the focus supplement to help me study. Way to anecdotal to decide, maybe not in the scope of nutrition?
I don't use electrolytes when exercising but it is very useful at my job as I work in a kitchen that is between 40-50c for hours so after awhile get real tired and woozy but after 1 electrolyte tab in 33cl of water back to normal.
If something is working for you and it’s not harmful or costs too much for you I don’t see a problem, even if it potentially could be a placebo. It sounds like you might benefit from more fluid if it’s that hot and you sweat a lot (?). But again, if you’re happy to keep doing what you’re doing then I don’t want to try convince you otherwise!
Just fluids usually don't do much more than run through me after drinking and usually make the symptoms worse. Also 40-50c is a bit of an under count on the heat it is more like 50-60c and a lot of movement. For like 6-9 hours@@AdamMc192
It is moreso lactate and H+ cations. That will be a function of training and getting better at whatever it is you're doing to move the lactate threshold higher. Beta Alanine or sodium bicarbonate might help a little with some research behind them.
Found your channel from the AG1 video and the content is absolutely top tier man! What are your thoughts on creatine and increasing water intake for that?
People excrete sodium in their sweat at different rates. I’m not sure percent of weight loss is a good way of assessing hydration status. It is A way, as surely there is dehydration to an extent, but I don’t think it can be universally applied.
Yes, you are right people do lose sodium at different rates, you can pause the video at 08:14 as the modelling takes this into account. From the lowest sweaters to the highest sweaters (almost 2000mg/L). Changes in bodyweight are validated as an effective way to measure hydration status and is very common in exercise research settings.
Adam, what is your take on adding B6 to electrolyte drinks? a bunch of hydration drinks contains it eg.: Halo hydration. Is B6 necessary for electrolyte transport?
yes you need electrolytes. do you need a product to get them? only if you are not getting them in your diet or you have particular extra need for them for athletic purpose
Great video as usual. Very interesting about a footballer not requiring to replace sodium after 90 minutes. However, I do wonder if the average is taken from professional or amateur athletes. Just because the total distance covered and intensity from each group is pretty big. One I assume would lead to higher volumes of sweat. In the defense of more plates more dates in his full video he does mention importance of measuring your sweat loss and whether or not you actually need to replace electrolytes. What he talked about in his video was all about making the decision for your needs and about how each hydration formulae on the market is generally targeted for different exercise scenario.
Within the model it accounts for low normal and high sweaters, from 0.5-2.5L/hour. However, research looking at professional footballers showed an averaged of 1.44L/h in high intensity and heat.
The amount of sodium in food is outrageous. If you buy any cold cuts or any premade food, the sodium is usually 25% of your daily value for a very small portion (usually 32g). Forget sauces. If you eat out, double it. THEN start to measure how much you actually put in your food! (please tell me you season your food). It really really really ads up. I would venture to guess the sodium levels in people are high for people who actively watch their diets let alone people who don't.
As someone who personally watches their sodium, I agree, it's really hard to eat a low sodium diet even if you're not eating junk. Some people could technically get it below 1000mg/day but that would be really hard and you would be really having to try. With that said, in some cases as mentioned in the video, sodium would still need to be replaced if blood sodium concentrations get too low. Our habitual diet doesn't really impact sodium blood levels (because they need to stay in a tight range or you will be in serious trouble).
I run Ultramarathons and I am typically able to consume electrolytes and liquid calories such as Tailwind for the first 3-4 hours, but beyond that I have a very difficult time stomaching anything besides water. I have often seen a decline in my performance when I switch to just water. Obviously fatigue is a factor, but I am trying to figure out if I am low on electrolytes or if I’m not eating enough calories. Would be helpful to get your perspective on this. Great video!
For Ultras it's likely you would benefit from sodium replacement. Would it improve performance? Probably not much but it would likely have an impact on hyponatremia. If I was you I would calculate sweat rate and see how much of your sweat you are replacing. I would also consider a sweat test at that point.
Let's say my blood pressure is a little bit low but ok, and i do bodybuilding for 2 hours in the gym and i sweat a little. I'm good with only water? (no food or other things during the workout).
I’m not a doctor so don’t want to pretend to be but low can be subjective. Often people think less 120/80 is low, when actually that’s the cut off point for elevated BP. If you have hypotension (clinically low) sodium can help that in some cases but I’d ask your doctor.
@@AdamMc192 Between a water with 8.6 sodium per mg/l or other water with 13.5. Should i go for the second one? would it matter for muscle contraction' i tend to drink a lot of water. Maybe 1.5 litres of water for my 2 hour bodybuilding workout.
More context (for those interested)
If you want to work with me 1:1 on your training and nutrition, apply here: www.healthmastery.co
Some notes:
Electrolytes are vital for life and we need to get them via our diet, but for most people in developed countries, there's not necessarily a need to supplement with them. We do sweat out electrolytes, but it's mainly sodium and chloride which are the two minerals with are in the greatest quantity in the extracellular space (our blood).
With that said our sweat is less salty than our blood, so our blood becomes more salty (relatively speaking) if we lose body water. So for most people, they will end up finishing their sport or exercise slightly dehydrated (loss in body weight) which isn't always a bad thing (infact gaining body weight or maintaining over longer exercise bouts can be dangerous).
At some point though, there will be a high water turnover, for example in an ultra marathon someone could sweat a total of 10+ litres. In cases like this it would be wise to supplement with sodium. I talked about specifics in the video (at present the only science we have is based on modelling by Dr Alan McCubbin, everything else is just guessing).
So for endurance athletes or people with high water turnover, sodium replacement is going to be something you might consider. The other electrolytes have not been shown to need replacing either because they have shown not to be necessary when studied or simply have not been studied (for example chloride).
When it comes to working in heat, we could technically compare that to endurance sport. Is it realistic to think that someone working out doors would sweat just as much as the average person playing basketball (I have my doubts as you would be soaked in sweat constantly). It is also noteworthy to mention that when someone in working in heat they take breaks and eat food that will often contain sodium (such as a sandwich).
Are there downsides to taking in electrolytes? Well kind of. Firstly, money but that might not be an issue for some. Second, increasing your blood osmolality too much (making it saltier than it already is) can decrease sweating as your body tires to balance out the sodium concentration again, this can lead to an increase in core body temperature and actually make performance worse.
Overall, this is a really interesting area and there is a limited amount of research in this area. In my opinion, based on the research and asking some of these questions directly to Dr McCubbin, I think many people using these are simply wasting their money.
I'm not trying to tell you to take or not to take electrolytes as it will always come down to the individual and their needs. If you would like to read more check out this mini-series: www.mysportscience.com/post/are-electrolytes-important-for-athletes
Bruh why you not say this in the video sounding like you were coming for Derek. His main point is just that prime shouldn’t be marketed as a drink for professional athletes. Sounds like you don’t disagree.
@@JamiePettengell I don’t think his formula is warranted for most people or necessarily backed by any scientific evidence, that’s the main point of my video. My video is talking about the product, not about Derek. Some of the stuff here is included, I just re-emphasised it but people will only watch so much and I decided to keep it shorter.
would love to know what your thoughts are on electrolyte intake while doing prolonged fasting (1-3 days ,10 days or even more)
Killer video and data. Thank you for the only video that addresses the topic so thoroughly. Top quality.
Hey Adam, I love your research/data based videos. Could you please also do an overview of multi-vitamins and what makes a good/bad one and whether the more expensive brands are actually significantly better than the others? In your AG1 video you mentioned that most people can simply get what AG1 provides from a third party certified multi-vitamin supplement but would love to hear more about it. And if the answer is that "no, all of the multi-vitamins are more-or-less the same then it probably doesn't warrant a full video :). Either way would love to hear your take on it.
Well explained and another great video, Adam. Many people forget how much water and minerals are in fruits & veg - then you add 2-3L fluids a day, most people will be more than covered. The average person will not be sweating enough for an electrolyte supplement.
Great point! Thanks Adam
I generally do 3h/day of martial arts, mma, wrestling, Thai boxing
But most people only do 1h gym and that doesn’t make you sweat a whole lot
Thought I'd leave a comment to hopefully get this account more attention. I appreciate your work!
Appreciate that my man! Thank you
This has become one of my top fav channels. Thank you for another great video!
Thanks so much!
This is fantastic. I've watched most of your videos after finding you today. You could easily create a podcast and make this your full time job.
Love your channel! Fantastic resource to remind me not to waste money on unnecessary supplements. I think we’re so bombarded with advertising on these products it reduces our critical thinking about whether it’s actually necessary.
Can you do a video on Huel? As the largest of the meal replacement products, it’d be interesting to get your take on it.
I have been asked to look into it, as it's a food product without really any major claims it's hard to break it down, like a protein powder, not much to say. But I will look into it. Thanks for the comment!
bro your videos are amazing please keep posting and educating
I would particularly like videos on peak performance
Thanks mate! What specifically regarding peak performance?
would be cool to hear your opinion on his other products. I bought gorilla mind smooth and pre workout on a whim. I noticed slight improvement on my exercises like a few reps with the pre-workout even as a heavy coffee drinker. But still divided on the focus supplement to help me study. Way to anecdotal to decide, maybe not in the scope of nutrition?
I second this.
What potassium salt substitute do you use for 2$ a 3month supply ?
I don't use electrolytes when exercising but it is very useful at my job as I work in a kitchen that is between 40-50c for hours so after awhile get real tired and woozy but after 1 electrolyte tab in 33cl of water back to normal.
If something is working for you and it’s not harmful or costs too much for you I don’t see a problem, even if it potentially could be a placebo. It sounds like you might benefit from more fluid if it’s that hot and you sweat a lot (?). But again, if you’re happy to keep doing what you’re doing then I don’t want to try convince you otherwise!
Just fluids usually don't do much more than run through me after drinking and usually make the symptoms worse. Also 40-50c is a bit of an under count on the heat it is more like 50-60c and a lot of movement. For like 6-9 hours@@AdamMc192
60 degrees Celsius? Surely that’s not legal 😂
@@AdamMc192 60 is rare though only in summers. Electronic fail and water condenses on thr ventilation
Question Adam what about if you are getting in the sauna daily? Do most people get enough sodium in their diet to not need an electrolyte supplement?
Is there any research on what foods to eat/avoid to better deal with lactic acid build up (I think is the term) during endurance sports?
It is moreso lactate and H+ cations. That will be a function of training and getting better at whatever it is you're doing to move the lactate threshold higher. Beta Alanine or sodium bicarbonate might help a little with some research behind them.
Could you please do a video on sole water or just adding sea salt to water and some lemon juice
Found your channel from the AG1 video and the content is absolutely top tier man! What are your thoughts on creatine and increasing water intake for that?
People excrete sodium in their sweat at different rates. I’m not sure percent of weight loss is a good way of assessing hydration status. It is A way, as surely there is dehydration to an extent, but I don’t think it can be universally applied.
Yes, you are right people do lose sodium at different rates, you can pause the video at 08:14 as the modelling takes this into account. From the lowest sweaters to the highest sweaters (almost 2000mg/L). Changes in bodyweight are validated as an effective way to measure hydration status and is very common in exercise research settings.
Great video - where does sauna use fit into this topic?
super quality brother. Definitely subscribing and looking forward to your content.
Welcome aboard!
Adam, what is your take on adding B6 to electrolyte drinks? a bunch of hydration drinks contains it eg.: Halo hydration. Is B6 necessary for electrolyte transport?
Is that a specific brand, can you link it?
Love these videos man!
Glad you like them! thanks for the comment
yes you need electrolytes. do you need a product to get them? only if you are not getting them in your diet or you have particular extra need for them for athletic purpose
I've been looking forward to this one
If you have any questions let me know
Great video as usual. Very interesting about a footballer not requiring to replace sodium after 90 minutes. However, I do wonder if the average is taken from professional or amateur athletes. Just because the total distance covered and intensity from each group is pretty big. One I assume would lead to higher volumes of sweat.
In the defense of more plates more dates in his full video he does mention importance of measuring your sweat loss and whether or not you actually need to replace electrolytes. What he talked about in his video was all about making the decision for your needs and about how each hydration formulae on the market is generally targeted for different exercise scenario.
Within the model it accounts for low normal and high sweaters, from 0.5-2.5L/hour. However, research looking at professional footballers showed an averaged of 1.44L/h in high intensity and heat.
The amount of sodium in food is outrageous. If you buy any cold cuts or any premade food, the sodium is usually 25% of your daily value for a very small portion (usually 32g). Forget sauces. If you eat out, double it. THEN start to measure how much you actually put in your food! (please tell me you season your food). It really really really ads up. I would venture to guess the sodium levels in people are high for people who actively watch their diets let alone people who don't.
As someone who personally watches their sodium, I agree, it's really hard to eat a low sodium diet even if you're not eating junk. Some people could technically get it below 1000mg/day but that would be really hard and you would be really having to try. With that said, in some cases as mentioned in the video, sodium would still need to be replaced if blood sodium concentrations get too low. Our habitual diet doesn't really impact sodium blood levels (because they need to stay in a tight range or you will be in serious trouble).
@@AdamMc192 I am unclear as to how our diet doesn't impact sodium blood levels. Maybe I am not grasping a key concept in the vid.
I run Ultramarathons and I am typically able to consume electrolytes and liquid calories such as Tailwind for the first 3-4 hours, but beyond that I have a very difficult time stomaching anything besides water. I have often seen a decline in my performance when I switch to just water. Obviously fatigue is a factor, but I am trying to figure out if I am low on electrolytes or if I’m not eating enough calories. Would be helpful to get your perspective on this. Great video!
For Ultras it's likely you would benefit from sodium replacement. Would it improve performance? Probably not much but it would likely have an impact on hyponatremia. If I was you I would calculate sweat rate and see how much of your sweat you are replacing. I would also consider a sweat test at that point.
You should make a video on the same content but introduce drinking alcohol to the equation. Andrew Huberman content feels. GREAT VIDEO!
Thanks for the comment! Not entirely sure what you mean?
I saw Huberman adds salt to his water in the morning. Is that even necessary?
No. It’s a fad.
He talked about something regarding neuron connectivity thr Sodium or something and salt helps. This he took Sodium. Waht do U think ?@@AdamMc192
So for a full marathon, aiming for sub 3hrs, high sweat rate, over 1.25l per hour do you think 1000mg of sodium would cover me?
What’s your drinking strategy? That would be a pretty average sweat rate. Do you plan do drink less than 3.75L total?
Let's say my blood pressure is a little bit low but ok, and i do bodybuilding for 2 hours in the gym and i sweat a little. I'm good with only water? (no food or other things during the workout).
I’m not a doctor so don’t want to pretend to be but low can be subjective. Often people think less 120/80 is low, when actually that’s the cut off point for elevated BP. If you have hypotension (clinically low) sodium can help that in some cases but I’d ask your doctor.
@@AdamMc192 Between a water with 8.6 sodium per mg/l or other water with 13.5. Should i go for the second one? would it matter for muscle contraction' i tend to drink a lot of water. Maybe 1.5 litres of water for my 2 hour bodybuilding workout.
What about people doing keto?
Scams scams scams -- lemon 🍋 and pink salt water …. Wow that was hard
Lemons make me gassy
Love your stuff. Put a shirt on.
Thanks, My shirt is on
👏👏🙏
i bleed concrete
👌
WTF is Yer-INE?😂
It’s called an accent
So I can just literally have water and a salt shaker in my hydration stack and that's it? @adammc192
I would question if salt is necessary even, season to taste. Depends on your situation, how long are you training for and what kind of exercise?
@@AdamMc192 i'm a tennis player. I train under the sun for about 3 hours a day
wear sunscreen@@favoritaco