Australian studies have shown that electrolyte drinks can help prevent exercise-induced muscle cramps

SYDNEY, March 28 (Xinhua) -- A study by Edith Cowan University in Australia showed that drinking electrolyte drinks during and after exercise is more conducive to preventing muscle spasms than drinking ordinary mineral water. The related research article has been published in the Journal of the International Sports Nutrition Society in the United States.

The researchers recruited 10 healthy male subjects who usually had fitness habits who ran downhill mode on a treadmill for 40 to 60 minutes in a room with 35-degree heat, losing between 1.5% and 2% weight due to sweating. Subsequently, the researchers performed electrical stimulation of the subjects' calf muscles to cause muscle spasms. The study found that the frequency of electrical stimulation required for subjects who triggered muscle spasms during and after exercise was higher than that required by subjects who drank regular mineral water. This suggests that drinking electrolyte drinks helps reduce the likelihood of muscle spasms in subjects.

Ken Nosaka, a professor at Edith Cowan University's School of Medicine and Health Sciences who led the study, said many people think dehydration causes muscle spasms, so they replenish a lot of water during exercise. But in fact, it is not dehydration but the loss of electrolytes that cause muscle spasms.

"We found that people who drank ordinary mineral water during and after exercise were more likely to experience muscle spasms when the body was dehydrated, possibly because ordinary water could not replenish the electrolyte loss caused by sweating, but diluted the electrolytes in our body." He said.

Nozaka said electrolyte drinks are not only useful for preventing muscle spasms caused by exercise, but can also help the body replenish water. After exercising in moderate or high-heat weather, or after severe diarrhea or vomiting due to illness, you should drink some electrolyte drinks.

Source: Xinhua Net