Dehydration

The human body is about two-thirds (approximately 70%) water. Water is essential to the normal working of your body. It lubricates the joints and eyes, aids digestion, flushes out waste and toxins and keeps skin healthy.

Dehydration occurs when the normal water content of your body is reduced. This leads to a change in the vital balance of chemical substances in your body, especially sodium (salt) and potassium. In order to function properly, many of the body’s cells depend on these substances being maintained at the correct levels.  That´s why water is not enough.
We also need to replenish the minerals lost through sweat or the danger of dehydration will still be present.

The amount of water in your body only has to decrease by a few per cent, for dehydration to occur. The effects of dehydration can be serious and, in extreme circumstances, they can be fatal.

Symptoms

Dehydration occurs when there is a 1% or greater reduction in body weight due to fluid loss. Depending on the percentage of body weight lost, dehydration can be described as mild, moderate or severe.

Mild dehydration - even if there is a relatively low level of fluid loss (causing a 1-2% loss of body weight) mild dehydration can cause the body to work less efficiently. However, mild dehydration carries few risks and can usually be easily treated by replacing lost fluids.

Moderate dehydration - is a 3-5% decrease in body weight due to fluid loss. This level of fluid loss can result in a substantial decrease in strength and endurance and is the primary cause of heat exhaustion.

If dehydration is chronic (ongoing) it can affect kidney function and may lead to the development of kidney stones. It can cause dry, wrinkled skin and be harmful to your liver, joints and muscles. It can also cause cholesterol problems, headaches, reduced blood pressure (hypotension), fatigue and constipation.

Severe dehydration - is a decrease of more than 5% of body weight due to fluid loss. A 10% or greater reduction in body weight is extremely serious. If not treated immediately, this level of dehydration can be life threatening. Hospitalisation and an intravenous drip may be necessary to restore the substantial loss of fluids.

It is important to remember that thirst is not a good indicator of dehydration. If you are thirsty, you are already likely to be suffering from the effects of dehydration.

The signs of dehydration in adults include:

• dry mouth
• chapped or dry lips,
• dry eyes,
• dry, loose skin with a lack of elasticity,
• sunken features, particularly the eyes clammy hands and feet,
• headaches,
• light-headedness,
• dizziness,
• tiredness,
• confusion and irritability,
• loss of appetite,
• burning sensation in your stomach,
• feeling of an ‘empty stomach’ or abdominal pain,
• low urine output, and
• concentrated, dark urine with a strong odour

A VEROFIT friend at the Mont Blank. Well Done Machote!!

We are happy to announce we have a sister VEROFIT online Shop webpage in Spain/Europe: www.sportdrink.es.  Now you can also get the best Sports Nutrition products online in Europe.

Hi Alex,

I was very interested to see how the taurine worked. Our training and competition paddles range from 1 hour to 6 hours so its

important to have an isotonic / energy drink that wont take your energy levels high then back down on a steep ‘curve’ but however

maintain a more constant level. I could feel the taurine gave me a “kick” more than other products similar like Hammer gel.

The Verofit isotonic worked exceptionally well for me, I found it to be responsive, easy to stomach and most importantly it maintained

a good balance of “salts and sugars” mix making it readily available when I was 3 hours into a paddle under a 30 degrees celcius sun.

I used the Verofit regeneration drink after training and enjoyed the taste, I feel that I have not used enough of this product as yet to feel

the true benefits.

Thanks once again..

Simon