When might an athlete need more salt in his diet?

During my pre-performance physical of one of my PRIMA athletes, he mentioned that he often got a lot of cramps after a long workout despite the fact that he drank adequate fluids and ate bananas (the supposed cramp prevention food) like they were going out of style. After further questioning, he mentioned that at the end of a marathon or on a really hot day, his skin will feel like gritty sandpaper covered in salt. Mike is a salty sweater: He loses a lot of salt through his skin while sweating.

Although many of us are of the mindset that we need to limit our salt intake to decrease our chances of high blood pressure, when we sweat like this, we can actually have too little salt in our bodies. This can lead to cramps. .

. . Even if you are eating bananas like they are going out of style (bananas give you potassium but not a lot of salt).

Mike met with PRIMA's nutritionist, Leslie Bonci, and she evaluated his diet and fluid intake. She discovered that he was not taking in enough salt (sodium) to replace the salt he lost during exercise. This was leading to his frequent cramps.

She recommended he add a little salt to his diet with pretzels, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and miraculously his cramps decreased. Leslie also recommends drinking sports drinks during long workouts to replace the electrolytes (salt, potassium, etc.) you lose.

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