Why Should You Stay Hydrated All Year?

Dehydration is not only a risk during warmer weather, but also a significant issue in colder months. Failing to hydrate can cause serious damage to your body and overall health. Here are 4 reasons why you should stay hydrated throughout the year.

Boost Your Immune System

            The colder months are accompanied with much drier air, leading to dehydration. This causes your body to feel sluggish and run-down. Dry air can also increase your risk of catching a cold and/or the flu. Drinking water will help your body prevent and fight off these infections by supplying the body with the fluids it needs.  Water flushes toxins and ensures your cells are well oxygenated and full of nutrients.

Sweat It Out

            Perspiration is more noticeable in warm months, often visible as beads of sweat. Sweat in cold months turns into water vapor quickly, and is therefore less noticeable. To avoid dehydration, it is important to drink water throughout the day, especially before, during and immediately after a workout. Water helps to regulate body temperature.  

Maintain, Don’t Gain

            Your body is more likely to pack on extra pounds during colder months because exercise tends to decrease, and food intake tends to increase. However, with proper hydration, your body is able to turn fat into energy more efficiently. Energy is needed to avoid feeling lethargic during short winter days. Additionally, when adequately hydrated, your body is less likely to retain fluids and more likely to eliminate false hunger cues associated with dehydration. 

Keeps Things Moving

            

Graphic From U.S. Geological Survey

Hydration is vital to your body’s organs and digestion. Water carries nutrients and oxygen through the body, lubricates joints, and controls blood pressure. If your body is dehydrated by just 1-2%, your heart has to work harder because your blood is thicker than normal. Dehydration can cause muscle fatigue and cramps, loss of coordination and exhaustion.   

Tips & Tricks

·         Carry water around everywhere you go―all year long.

·         Eat water-rich fruits and veggies.

o   Lettuce: 95% water

o   Oranges: 88% water

o   Apples: 84% water

·         Know your sweat rate (see Hydration 411) to determine how much water you need before, during, and after exercise.

·         Avoid caffeinated beverages and alcohol while rehydrating.

·         Use an air humidifier to add moisture to the air and prevent illness. 

·         Add flavor to plain water such as lemons, cucumbers, limes, or other favorite fruit.

            Water does numerous things for your body. Staying hydrated in winter months may be more of a challenge, but it is important. Athletes and exercisers are particularly susceptible to dehydration due to the varying intensities of a workout. For more information about how much water to drink download these files: Assess Your Hydration and Hydrate Early & Often.

Testosterone Boosters

Dietary supplements claiming to boost testosterone or enhance sexual performance are often explored and inquired about by athletes. However, these products come with concerns. Many of the ingredients are created in factories, making them unnatural, and lack scientific evidence regarding their safety and efficacy, even if the products are labeled as “herbal” or “all natural” (Campbell et al., 2013).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) holds dietary supplement manufacturers responsible for truth in labeling and safety of all dietary supplement products that enter the consumer market. Unfortunately, these companies may not list each product ingredient on the supplement facts panel, can make false or exaggerated claims, and/or add harmful ingredients. Due to the unregulated nature of supplements, there is little data regarding the products as a whole, including the ingredients, use of proprietary blends, and marketing claims (Willoughby, Spillane, & Schwarz, 2014).

Testosterone boosters and sexual enhancement products have a higher risk of containing harmful ingredients that are not listed on the label, compared to other supplement categories. For example, phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors are pharmaceutical medications used to treat erectile dysfunction. PDE5 inhibitors have been found in testosterone boosting and sexual enhancement supplements, but have not been listed on the product label. In 2013, researchers tested sexual performance supplements to determine if they were adulterated with PDE5 inhibitors or other undeclared ingredients. The marketing for all 54 tested supplements claimed they did not contain synthetic substances. However, 81% of the tested products contained one or more synthetic PDE5 inhibitor or similar ingredient, undisclosed to the consumer (Campbell et al., 2013).

Taking dietary supplements that “boost testosterone” have proven ineffective in reducing fat mass, as well as increasing total body or muscle mass. Instead, products making these claims come with a lot of unknowns and dangers (Willoughby et al., 2014).

Consumers are made to believe that testosterone levels and muscle mass will increase with the use of dietary supplements claiming to be testosterone boosters. Manufacturers even state that their product is scientifically proven to work. When in reality, they often contain dietary ingredients that have not been tested for efficacy or safety.

Tribulus terrestris (TT) is a popular herbal ingredient found in testosterone boosting supplements. TT is associated with claims of boosting testosterone and correcting erectile function. Physically-active men are the target market for products containing TT (Pokrywka, 2014). Similarly, TT allegedly improves plasma testosterone levels and increases skeletal muscle growth (Antonio, Uelmen, Rodriguez, & Earnest, 2000). The use of dietary supplements with TT has shown no substantiated benefits in human studies. As with most dietary ingredients, there is a lack of evidence-based information regarding the effectiveness and safety of TT use in sport (Pokrywka, 2014). The consumer should be aware that many herbal/all-natural ingredients claiming to boost testosterone levels or provide other anabolic effects have limited scientific support.

Drug Free Sport believes that food should be the first option for fueling when athletes are looking to reach performance goals. Dietary supplements are poorly regulated by the FDA, with manufacturers loosely following the FDA’s guidelines. Supplement companies market their products how they wish, often place unlabeled ingredients in the bottle, and make false claims. Appropriately-timed meals and snacks, on the other hand, have been proven to aid in weight reduction and achieving sports performance goals.

If you are thinking about taking any dietary supplement, please visit Drug Free Sport AXIS™ to learn more about your options to make an informed decision. 

References:

Antonio, J., Uelmen, J., Rodriguez, R., & Earnest, C. (2000). The effects of tribulus terrestris on body composition and exercise performance in resistance-trained males. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 10, 208-215.

Campbell, N., Clark, J.P., Stecher, V.J., Thomas, J.W., Callanan, A.C., Donnelly, B.F.,… Kaminetsky, J.C. (2013). Adulteration of purported herbal and natural sexual performance enhancement dietary supplements with synthetic phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. International Society for Sexual Medicine, 10, 1842-1849.

Pokrywka, A., Obminski, Z., Malczewska-Lenczowska, J., Fijatek, Z., Turek-Lepa, E., & Grucza, R. (2014). Insights into supplements with tribulus terrestris used by athletes. Journal of Human Kinetics, 41, 99-105.

Qureshi, A., Naughton, D.P., & Petroczi, A. (2014). A systematic review on the herbal extract tribulus terrestris and the roots of its putative aphrodisiac and performance enhancing effect. Journal of Dietary Supplements, 11(1), 64-79.

Willoughby, D.S., Spillane, M., & Schwarz, N. (2014). Heavy resistance training and supplementation with the alleged testosterone booster NMDA has on effect on body composition, muscle performance, and serum hormones associated with the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis in resistance-trained males. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 13, 192-199.

Medical Marijuana, Medical Exception?

State Marijuana Laws in 2016 (Post-Election)

Image Source: governing.com 

Here's what you should know as of the November 8 election:

• There are now eight states that have passed laws permitting recreational use of marijuana: Maine, California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. 

• Medical marijuana is now legal in 28 states and Washington, D.C. after ballot measures passed in North Dakota, Arkansas, Florida, and Montana. 

• Federally, marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 

• Because of the DEA's imposed status, doctors can only "recommend" marijuana to patients. Federal law prohibits medical professionals from prescribing the drug. 

• Rates of marijuana use in states that have legalized marijuana in some form have increased exponentially compared to those that have not. (Source, page 5)

• The average THC concentrations in cannabis have continued to increase, while the medicinal, non-psychoactive ingredient, cannabidiol (CBD), has not. (Source) 

What this means for athletes:

• Marijuana is still prohibited/banned in sport or considered a drug of abuse. 

• Drug-testing sanctions for marijuana-positive tests, as designated by each sport organization, still apply in states where marijuana has been legalized. 

• Marijuana's cannabinoids are stored in fat. The increasing potency of THC in marijuana means it can take longer for the drug to be metabolized and cleared from the body. (READ: Using marijuana over the holidays, and hoping for clean urine upon returning to practice is probably not the best idea.)

• There are NO medical exceptions (MEs) or therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) for marijuana in sport. Athletes will not be granted a ME or TUE, even if a doctor has "prescribed" marijuana.

Other athlete-health implications to consider:

• Legalization of marijuana in Colorado has shown an increase in alcohol consumption—separately from the increase in marijuana-infused beers and wines on the market. (Source, page 26)

• Post-legalization of marijuana: DUI cases related to driving while high, and traffic fatalities where the driver tested positive for marijuana have increased in Washington State and Colorado, respectively. (Source, pages 17-18)

Share your thoughts with us on social media (#EducateDrugFreeSport) or request a speaker on marijuana to educate your athletes!