Re: RC: Re: Just a spoon full of sugar...

["Beth Glace" <lb@nismat.org>]

Hi Susan,
the studies in humans have, as you describe, shown that glucose is  
transported from the intestine by a sodium-dependent pathway.  
Therefore some sodium taken simultaneously with the carb will 
improve glucose absorption.  It may be important to remember that 
the human studies of absorption of fluids and carbs during exercise 
are always done with fasting subjects who drink only the sugar-
electrolyte beverages provided to them.  Humans rarely take solid 
foods during exercise, except during ultra-endurance events 
[distances greater than the marathon].  Don't we almost always give 
our horses solid food with the electrolytes?  Hay, grass, a bit of grain, 
carrots etc?  That solid food would certainly provide carbs?  So the 
exact nature and amount of the sugar supplied with the electrolytes is 
probably not such an issue, because they are taking it along with 
other feedstuffs.  Solid foods require a longer period of time to leave 
the stomach and to be made isoosmotic, thus delaying the rate of 
absorption.  If you are only providing water, electrolytes and sugar 
you can probably estimate the time needed for fluid to actually be 
absorbed.  In practice, though, we are feeding more than sports 
drinks to our horses, and the rate of absorption is probably much 
more difficult to estimate.  
Just some thoughts,
Beth Glace, MS, CDN
Sports Nutritionist/Research Assoc
NISMAT
NY, NY

> > If it is true that a little bit of sugar helps electrolytes be
> >  absorbed, (true for people, I'm assuming it's also true for
> >  horses, but I'm not sure,) but too much sugar slows gastric
> >  emptying...Then, when dealing with a 1000 lb horse, where does
> >  mixing powdered 'lytes with molasses fall?  Too much glucose? Not
> >  too much?
> 
> 
> True, but the spoonful or two of syrup or sugar or whatever you mix in
> won't be enough to cause problems.
> 
> It wasn't all that long ago that they finally discovered that the
> cells responsible for transporting sodium from the gut into the
> bloodstream are dependent on glucose to work.  Thousands upon
> thousands of people have died, essentially from dehydration, when they
> had one of the enteric diseases---the doctors tried to keep them
> hydrated with electrolyte fluids and they died anyway.  Turns out had
> they given them a bit of glucose with the e'lytes and fluids, they
> would have been able to keep them alive until they recovered from the
> disease.  There but for a bit of Gatorade go I.....:-)
> 
> Susan G
> 
> 
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