The Physiology of Hydration

Athletes have long tried to counteract the adverse effects of strenuous activity, rigorous competition, and high intensity training. The consumption of water helps maintain body temperature and blood volume, but water is absorbed relatively slowly, and this type of hydration or fluid replenishment is really only extracellular. Extracellular is the fluid outside the cell, which is found in three compartments that collectively equate to 20% of the body's water, whereas intracellular is the fluid inside of the cell which represents 40% of our body weight and equates to 70% of the body's water. True cellular hydration (intracellular), however is far more complicated than drinking water or a "sports hydration beverage" that is simply electrolytes and carbohydrate. Drinking water will improve your overall hydration status, but it will not significantly alter the ratio of intracellular to extracellular fluid. Water moves in and out of the cells with electrolytes. Electrolytes are chemicals that form electrically charged ions (particles) in body fluids.

 

Water moves in and out of the cells with electrolytes. Electrolytes are chemicals that form electrically charged ions (particles) in body fluids. These ions carry the electrical energy necessary for numerous physiological functions including muscle contractions and the transmission of nerve impulses, as well as many bodily functions depend on electrolytes; optimal performance requires a consistent and adequate supply of these electrolytes. Research in the field of cellular hydration has shown that when cells absorb water and swell (cellular hydration), this action acts as a positive stimulus. An increase in cellular hydration triggers the anabolic (rebuilding / recovery) mechanism, this anabolic state is accompanied by a positive nitrogen balance, protein synthesis and growth hormone release. Cellular hydration results in a balanced pH, increased fat burning and reduced free radical damage. On the other hand when cells become dehydrated, this triggers a catabolic reaction or degenerative state, resulting muscle wasting, inflammation and a greater risk of injury.

 

Because so many people do not fully understand the complexity of what true cellular hydration is or how it works, many athletes consistently train, exercise, compete and live in a dehydrated or near dehydrated state (intracellularly) as they neglect consistent and proper electrolyte replenishment. They don't think they are dehydrated because they don't "feel" dehydrated, or they haven't been experiencing cramps or other outward signs of extreme dehydration, but none the less, their cells are not fully hydrated for optimal performance or recovery. Proper cellular hydration is not about preventing cramping, but specifically to maintain the positive mechanism that true cellular hydration provides with regards to promoting energy production from glycogen resynthesis, stamina, muscle function and performance and recovery. The focus of most hydration/rehydration beverages and sports drinks is to replenish lost electrolytes and to provide carbohydrates for energy. These products contain electrolytes or partial electrolytes some with carbohydrates (mostly sugar), but they do not contain all the essential nutrients needed to provide the rapid cellular hydration needed by athletes and active people engaged in strenuous activity, endurance sports, high intensity training or competition.

 

Sodium is the key extracellular electrolyte, whose function is in regulating water balance and blood pressure and in the generation of action potential (function) in skeletal muscle and nervous tissue. With potassium being the key intracellular electrolyte, whose function is the repolarization of action potential (function) in skeletal muscle and nervous tissue, controlling blood pressure, maintaining osmotic pressure and in the proper pH balance.

 

Based on these and other hydration studies and extensive oral hydration research, H2O Overdrive was formulated with a direct focus on driving intracellular hydration. Intracellular hydration is a key anabolic mechanism that drives energy through glycogen resynthesis, improve muscle function, increases stamina and protein synthesis and enhances recovery.  Many products have been introduced over the last 2 decades claiming to address hydration, but the reality is that these products contain incomplete electrolytes and do not contain all of the essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals or amino acids to drive intracellular hydration or improve muscle performance and recovery.  The most dominant such product in the market has used massive ad campaigns to push a high sugar content that may taste great, but could easily lead to insulin sensitivity or diabetes for heavy users. 

 

Over the last decade, many athletes were so fed up with high sugar drinks with electrolytes pretenses, that they avoided these so called electrolyte drinks and simply relies on plain water. Water can only provide part of the hydration solutions, as it hydrates the body extracellulary (outside the cells) leaving the largest balance of your body’s fluids untouched, as extracellulary hydrations only impacts 20%  of the body’s fluids, while intracellular hydration impacts 80%.  While pure water will not cause diabetes as the high sugar drinks have been shown to, the need of the athlete is far optimal hydration, which water alone can’t provide. H2O Overdrive is precision combination of water protein, carbohydrates, electrolytes, specific amino acids essential vitamins and minerals that stimulate and promotes the uptake of the fluids and nutrient to be drawn “inside” the cells, resulting in intracellular hydration. 

 

H2O Overdrive accomplished this task by delivery 8 grams of protein which is essential for intracellular hydration in a 3:1 precision ratio with 24 grams of low glycemic response carbohydrates that further support energy, recovery and cellular function.  This along with a balanced ration of electrolytes that are necessary for proper hydration and the maintenance of proper fluid levels and body functions, combined with essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals and other vital nutrients, all with only 3 grams of sugar and 148 calories.  Each 20 ounce serving also delivers a full 5 grams of fiber.  Aside from much better contractive ability of a muscle when properly hydrated, the potential for injury is also far less with optimally hydrated muscles.  The fact that an athlete will also benefit from the carbs and protein in the H2O Overdrive, as muscle fuel in addition to the hydration benefits, is just one more unique attribute of this product- unlike high sugar drinks which will cause an insulin spike in most athletes, leading to a net loss in energy available to the muscles.  H2O Overdrive’s nutritional payload is delivered without unwanted blood sugar spiking,….. and the result is muscle that actually feel the energy entering into them!

 

Unlike water and hydration products like electrolyte or carbohydrate and electrolyte drink, H2O Overdrive actually pulls nutrient into the muscle cells, 30 to 40% better than pure water can, actually hydrating the body at the cellular level. 

 

Understanding The Physiology of Hydration

Hydration within the cell at the cellular level is true cellular hydration.  Cellular hydration is the mechanism which drives energy production through glycogen resynthesis, stamina, muscle function and recovery.  For optimal performance during a competition – recovery must start when the workload begins, this is what ensures stamina and energy throughout the task, as well as recovery and muscle repair after.  

 

 

The Science of Proper Hydration.

By Terry Giles, cmt, cpns, Co-Founder of IHS, LLC. and Developer of H2O Overdrive 

 

Cellular hydration as we refer to it specifically relates to “intracellular” hydration which occurs INSIDE the cells. Extra cellular hydration occurs OUTSIDE the cells, and this is the type of hydration that is facilitated by water and most sports beverages, hydration - outside of the cells which impacts only 20% of the fluids in your body. Intracellular hydration impacts 70% of the fluids in your body and is the true measure of hydration for performance. 

 

So what does your body need to accomplish true, effective cellular level hydration or rehydration (intracellular)? Beyond what we all have been led to believe by some crafty marketing folks and by big food companies selling sugar water as “hydration”. Pick up these so called hydration beverages and read the label. What you will find is that most all products sold as “sports beverages” for hydration or rehydration, recovery and energy - contain HUGE amounts of sugar. They try to hide these massive amounts of sugars and calories through clever labeling, where they declare that 20 ounce bottle contains 2.5 servings per container. When was the last time you picked up 20 ounces of fluid after a long hard race and said to yourself “well - this bottle is 2 and a half servings so I can only drink half of it”….say what!!! 

 

Read the label - you will be surprised when you see that bottle of Gatorade® is delivering 32 grams of sugar per 20 ounce bottle….or that Vitamin Water ® is supplying you with 32 grams of sugar and that Red Bull® would be serving up a whopping 60 grams of sugar if you were to drink 20 ounces of it. That is A LOT of sugar. Think about it - 35 grams of sugar actually cancels out all of the calories burned on a 20 minutes run...so where is the benefit???? All of this sugar is actually doing you more harm than good. High amounts of sugar cause insulin spikes – this is when insulin is secreted in large quantities in a very short period of time – these spikes in turn trigger the “negative side” of insulin – wherein most of these excess simple carbohydrates are converted from “energy producing” to being stored as fats in the adipose tissue under the stimulus of insulin. To state it more simply – these “extra sugar calories” trigger a down pouring of insulin – that causes these “sugar calories” to be stored as fat instead of as energy. Which in turn can result in weight gain instead of weight loss and can promote diabetes, tooth decay, stalls weight loss and actually increases weight gain. Sugar is the last thing you want in a real sports beverage, hydration or rehydration drink.

 

What you do need is a combination of water, protein, carbohydrates, electrolytes, some specific amino acids, vitamins and minerals, a combination which stimulates and promotes the uptake of the fluids and nutrients to be drawn “inside” the cells, resulting in true cellular level hydration / rehydration. Years of extensive research has shown the importance of consuming a combination of protein and carbohydrates for restoring the body after exercise or strenuous sports activity. Further advanced study showed that replenishing the body’s minerals and electrolytes lost through these strenuous activities is also paramount for recovery and further scientific research and analysis has shown how minerals and electrolytes combined with carbohydrates and protein are far more effective for rehydrating the body and replenishing vital glycogen stores for recovery and muscle repair than simple water or electrolyte and carbohydrate drinks that do not contain protein. Hydration is paramount in performing at your best when engaged in strenuous activity, training or competition. Water carries the toxins out of muscle fiber and helps detoxify the kidneys and liver. There are six major nutrients needed to sustain life and survive, they are water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Water is the most substantial – constituting the largest portion of our bodyweight. Your muscles are comprised of over 70% water, as is your brain. Your blood plasma is 92% water, while even your bones consist of over 22% water. Water is necessary to maintain our body temperature and complete digestion, circulation, absorption and excretion. So as you can see – water is vital to our overall health, wellbeing and life. For maximum performance and effectiveness, you need the correct balance of electrolytes. Electrolytes are important as part of your hydration because, the electrolytes (potassium, sodium and magnesium) work in concert to support normal body function, regulate body temperature, blood pH and assist in proper muscle function. Potassium is one of the most abundant minerals in the human body, many cellular enzyme systems rely on potassium with muscular contraction being the most vital, as our heart is a muscle. Potassium is necessary for a normal heart rhythm and stable blood pressure and sodium is an important mineral in the utilization on nutrients and cellular metabolism. It is also necessary for the maintenance of proper blood pH, and proper water balance in the body. Sodium is vital in the control of muscle cramps and spasms, as well as in controlling headaches, weakness and even the collapse of blood vessels. Magnesium is needed for almost all cellular chemical reactions; this mineral is vital for regulating cell metabolism. It is vital to enzyme activity. Your muscles require a correct balance of magnesium in order to function properly.

 

So how do you get a balance of electrolytes? What about those other nutrients – the protein, carbohydrates, amino acids, vitamins and minerals – how do I get those and how much do I need?? First - I can tell you where not to get it. As I said earlier – read the label – those so called hydration beverages and sports drinks all contain way too much sugar (you don’t need) and too few of the real nutrients you need. Read the label – they either don’t have a balance of electrolytes or they simply have no real nutritional value. You are better off consuming plain water. It will be more effective, because it doesn’t contain all of those un-necessary calories and all of that sugar. Water is better than Gatorade, PowerAde, Vitamin Water or any other of those so-called “hydration” sugar water drinks. Water will hydrate your body “outside” of the cells. However, if you want the key to true intracellular hydration then my recommendation is you consider H2O Overdrive ™. Based on extensive scientific research and numerous published studies, the team at Innovative Health Solutions developed the unique proprietary formula for H2O Overdrive™ to provide effective rehydration, boost energy and sports performance and aid muscle recovery. Hydration research studies have demonstrated the positive proof that a precise ratio of protein and carbohydrates promotes cellular rehydration and supports muscle recovery, including a recent study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism which measured the effectiveness of three different beverages in rehydrating athletes. This particular study was conducted on 13 endurance athletes who drank either (a) water or (b) a carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink or (c) a protein-carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink or water after losing 2.5% of their body weight through exercise-induced sweat loss. Investigators found that the protein-carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink rehydrated athletes 15% better than the carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink and some 40% better than water. Previous studies have also shown that a carbohydrate-protein sports drink, when compared to a conventional carbohydrate-only sports drink or electrolyte only sports drink improves endurance, reduces post-exercise muscle damage and even improves performance in a subsequent exercise bout or sports event.

 

H2O Overdrive delivers superior hydration at the cellular level with its unique formulation that delivers 8 grams of protein (100% pure whey protein isolate) which is essential for cellular rehydration (intracellular hydration) which drives energy, recovery, protein synthesis, and muscle function in a precision ratio with 24 grams of low glycemic response carbohydrates to support energy, recovery and cellular function. This combined with a balanced ratio of electrolytes necessary for proper hydration, proper fluid levels and body function, along with essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals and other vital nutrients - all with only 3 grams of sugar and 148 calories. The product tastes great, comes in three flavors and each 20 ounce serving delivers a full 5 grams of fiber.