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Lead Stories: Saturday, September 6, 2008

Supplements and Absorption

Posted December 1st, 2007 at 7:00 PM by Shannon Clark

Section: Nutrition, Supplements

One concern that some individuals have when it comes to their supplement routine is making sure that what they are taking is being absorbed effectively. You’ve likely heard that getting your nutrition from real foods is often better than taking it in pill form, and this is a big reason why. Generally the body will absorb nutrients slightly better when it comes from food because this is how mother nature intended it.

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Q & A: Can sports drinks cause stomach cramping?

Posted March 7th, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: Nutrition, Hydration

A study from the Netherlands shows that sugar in sports drinks slows absorption and increases stomach cramping in running races shorter than 12 miles.

Fluids pass through your stomach and are absorbed almost immediately in your intestines. Exercise slows fluid passage from the stomach but does not affect intestinal absorption. Sugar added to drinks can delay stomach emptying to increase risk for cramps.

Another study from the University of Utah, reported in the same journal, shows that taking a salty drink just before exercise increases endurance. Dehydration is the most common cause of fatigue during exercise in fit men and women. This study used salted drinks or placebo (unsalted) drinks with two groups of cyclists, and demonstrated a significant improvement in an endurance time trial as well as better maintenance of blood volume in the group that had the salted drinks.
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