Re: electrolyte supplementation

[CMKSAGEHIL <CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com>]

In a message dated 98-04-19 00:36:04 EDT, Debbyly@aol.com writes:

<< 
 At the AERC convention several years ago there was a lecture about the
 mechanisms for utilizing calcium during an endurance ride.  It had to do with
 a form of calcitriol (sp?) that, according to this theory, would be produced
 in greater quantities if the horse was stressed with calcium depletion a few
 days before the ride.  Are you familiar with this research?  Is there
anything
 to it?  Does anyone else remember this lecture and corresponding articles in
 either Endurance News or Trail Blazer.?  This theory only applied to calcium,
 not any other electrolyte. >>

Debby, are you talking about calcitonin?  That is a hormone which regulates
calcium.  If there is always a lot of calcium available, the parathyroid gland
does not produce large quantities of the hormone, so that if a great need for
calcium arises (such as an endurance ride, or lactation, etc.) the body is not
able to mobilize calcium and gets into trouble.  However, I think the time
frame is more than just a few days, if I remember my endocrinology correctly.
At any rate, the upshot is that feeding too much calcium can actually cause a
serious drop in calcium at these crucial times since the body's ability to
mobilize it is not up to par.

Heidi