Hydration Will Be Key For Beijing Bound Olympians, What Every Athlete...(ght loss occurs during practice or a sin...),Health

"An athlete needs to drink 16 ounces of fluid for each pound lost within six hours," said http://www.discmdgroup.com/soft-tissue/doctor-bio.asp?ID=22 [Dr. G. Douglas Andersen], a certified clinical nutritionist at D.I.S.C. "For example, if the athlete finds he/she loses six pounds after a training session, then the athlete needs to drink 6 x 16 ounces (96 ounces) within six hours. This will assure the rehydration process is well underway. If there is additional competition the next day, then the athlete needs to drink 24 ounces of fluid for each pound lost. Again, if the athlete lost six pounds, then he/she should drink 6 x 24 ounces (144 ounces) within six hours."

Athletes who are having a very difficult time with dehydration may require pre-hydration, meaning they may need to begin drinking fluids hours before the event. For example, he/she may need to drink 16 ounces of fluid per hour for three hours before the start of the event and drink within comfort during the event. The athlete will urinate 50% of the ingested fluid but is still better hydrated by this process.

"The type of fluid used for hydration is important," Dr. Andersen added. "If the fluid is too concentrated with sugar (fructose, etc.), it will take longer to leave the stomach (gastric emptying), which will delay rehydration. If pure water is used, the blood levels of sodium can become too diluted (hyponatremia) can occur and this creates its own set of problems."

The most effective method is to use a diluted replacement-type drink before and during practice and competition to allow the fluid to leave the stomach faster. There is another factor: research on taste of fluid replacemen
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