Exercise Associated Hyponatremic Encephalopathy, Gatorade and the ACSM

[Mike Doehla]

Originally Posted by Jacob Levin

Mike,

If I understand the issue correctly, it's not necessarily that over-use of Gatorade is more dangerous than overhydration in general. The issue is that Gatorade has, for a number of years, deliberately downplayed and outright lied about the risks of EAHE in order to sell their product.

I'm not an expert on the subject, so take my explanation with a grain of salt.

Gotcha. I wasn't sure what the story was here. Thanks.

[Blair Robert Lowe]

http://youtu.be/mu9VA3pTEzs

WFS

*Bump*

[Russell Greene]

On February 20 we are hosting The 2015 CrossFit Conference on Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia, organized by the HEAT Institute.

You can register for the event here: https://www.regonline.com/builder/si...ventID=1658120 (w/f safe)

The speaker list includes Harvard and Georgetown Medical School faculty as well as hydration consultants for the military, NFL, and NBA. If you're interested in fitness and live anywhere near San Diego, CA, this will be a useful conference for you. There is no charge for attending.

[Christopher Morris]

http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf...2_Achauer2.pdf

This article is a recap of the 2015 CrossFit Conference on Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia.

I thought this point was interesting: "Drinking glass after glass of water while sedentary generally doesn’t have negative health implications. It mostly leads to more trips to the bathroom. The problem begins when someone drinks excessively while exercising," typically slow to moderate endurance exercise.

[Russell Greene]

Thanks for sharing that link, Christopher.

You can watch the full video of the 2015 CrossFit Conference on Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GizAYJfuH4 (w/f safe)

The scientists who presented are also working on a joint statement that they'll publish in scientific journals.

One of the highlights was Dr. Kevin Miller's presentation on cramps, starting at 4:06:43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GizAYJfuH4&t=14803

Dr. Miller critically analyzed the work of Gatorade advertiser (and lead CHAMP author!) Dr. Michael Bergeron on cramping.

The Gatorade advertiser, Bergeron, propounds the theory that electrolyte loss causes cramps. His theory is based off of an unproven assumption.

According to Dr. Miller, "technically, no one has ever shown that crampers lose more sodium in their sweat than non-crampers."

This relates to hyponatremia indirectly. Athletes believe that drinking commercial sports drinks like Gatorade will prevent cramps. To compound the problem, athletes are largely unaware of the risks of hyponatremia.

For example, Zyrees Oliver suffered intense cramping during summer football training last year. Doctors and coaches advised him to hydrate frequently to treat his symptoms. Zyrees complied, drank gallons of Gatorade, and died from exercise-associated hyponatremic encephalopathy (EAHE).

Zyrees died a thoroughly preventable death.

[Luke Sirakos]

I'm not sure any sane person would recommend consuming 4 gallons of liquids. I don't even know how you drink 4 gallons of anything.

[Russell Greene]

Gatorade has finally relented and begun advising athletes to drink "ad libitum," or "to thirst."

And ACSM's incoming president Larry Armstrong admitted that Gatorade funding "does affect objectivity."

[Christopher Morris]

Russ,
Your link isn't working for me, but I figure it's from your blog:
http://therussells.crossfit.com/2015...n-confessions/ (wfs)

You call on Larry Armstrong to "use his authority at ACSM to remove Gatorade’s corrosive impact. He must not just end Gatorade’s partnership with ACSM, but also ban all ACSM fellows from accepting Gatorade dollars." A hopeful idea, as you quote him saying that Gatorade funding affects the objectivity of hydration research.

Not so hopeful when I read this, as he seems unwilling to stand up to his funded peers:

To Larry Armstrong, professor of environment and exercise physiology at the University of Connecticut and one of the few sports scientists not on the payroll of Gatorade, the new research is highly suspect. "I believe the vast majority of people do not exceed 50 minutes (of exercise), so I would think the vast majority of people who use Gatorade don't need it," he says.

But Dr. Armstrong adds that he is reluctant to press the point for fear of offending his academic peers. "I have too many friends that deal with them," he says. "It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does affect objectivity."

[Russell Greene]

Thank you for the link, Chris.

[Russell Greene]

Here is the joint statement from the conference that CrossFit sponsored:

"Statement of the Third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference, Carlsbad, California, 2015"

http://journals.lww.com/cjsportsmed/...ational.2.aspx

(link is w/f safe)