Re: water weight

[Tivers@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/21/99 9:34:25 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
michrowe@frontier.net writes:

<< Hmmm, I read this in Stephen Duren's article on Feeding the Endurance Horse
 and thought gut water content might be used to support blood plasma levels
 (and ward off dehydration).  Nutrients move across the membrane - is water
 not able to move through?
 
 "The additional water and electrolytes in the digestive tract of the high
 fiber animals is probably due to the high water holding capacity of plant
 fiber. More importantly, the water and electrolyte pool created by a high
 fiber diet can be used to combat dehydration and electrolyte imbalances
 which derail so many endurance horses."
 
 m >>


Don't know. Water will move across a membrane to an area of lower water 
concentration--that is, where the other components of the fluid are 
higher--salts, for example. That's why you can't drink salt water if you're 
dying of thirst on a desert island. Salt water in the gut pulls water from 
the circulation. 

How easily water moves from the gut to the circulation is not known to me, 
but I'd be glad to be educated on this point. One thing is for sure--the 
water released from glycogen burning is dumped directly into the circulation.

ti


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