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Lead Stories: Monday, December 1, 2008

Will potassium supplements treat fatigue in an athlete?

Posted January 3rd, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: Nutrition, Supplements, Health & Fitness

Tiredness and cramps in athletes can have many causes, but lack of potassium in their diets is not one of them. Many years ago, Dave Costill of Ball State University tried to create potassium deficiency in runners. He couldn’t do it because potassium is found in all foods except refined sugar, and his athletes would not stay on a diet that consisted only of hard candy.

The kidneys and sweat glands conserve potassium so well that you don’t lose much. If an athlete develops potassium deficiency, it is usually caused by drugs, such as diuretics or corticosteroids, or by diarrhea or repeated vomiting.
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Exercise Bulimia: When it’s gone too far

Posted December 1st, 2006 at 11:00 AM by Sarah Kaufman

Section: Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Health & Fitness, Exercise

When you’re at the gym, you love running on the treadmill. You pump out five or six miles every time you go; sporadically varying the speed of your mile times to achieve the best possible work-out that your body can handle. You look beside you and see a woman who is also running on the treadmill. She’s running at the same speed; on her way to the same five or six miles.

But whether or not you’re able to realize it, there is something different about the two of you.

You feel amazing after your run. You feel empowered, you feel healthy, you feel unstoppable. But not her. She feels like she didn’t do enough for the day. Maybe she feels like she shouldn’t leave; not until she burns a few hundred extra calories (at least!).

We all know that exercise is good for you. It’s healthy. It allows you to live a longer, happier life. But when does exercise turn into an eating disorder? Read the rest of this entry »

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