Why the study?
Recent investigations have questioned the role of hydration and electrolytes in cramp susceptibility and the efficacy of consuming electrolyte-rich carbohydrate beverages to control or prevent cramping.
Does electrolyte beverage consumption reduce cramp susceptibility in euhydrated, cramp-prone participants?
Does electrolyte beverage consumption reduce cramp susceptibility in euhydrated, cramp-prone participants?
Electrolyte beverage consumption decreases cramp susceptibility and pain in euhydrated, cramp-prone individuals, though it does not completely prevent cramping.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May modestly raise cramp threshold in euhydrated individuals; hypothesis-generating and requires larger trials before clinical use.
BACKGROUND: Recent investigations have questioned the role of hydration and electrolytes in cramp susceptibility and thus the efficacy of consuming electrolyte-rich carbohydrate beverages (EB) to control/prevent cramping. METHODS: Nine euhydrated, cramp-prone participants had their cramp susceptibility assessed by measuring the nerve stimulation threshold frequency at which cramping occurs (TF) before and after consumption of an EB (kCal: 120, Na: 840 mg, K: 320 mg, Mg: 5 mg) and placebo beverage (PB: kCal: 5, Na: 35 mg). Cramp intensity was assessed using a verbal pain scale and poststimulation electromyography (EMG). RESULTS: TF was greater in EB (14.86 ± 7.47 Hz) than PB (14.00 ± 5.03 Hz; P = .038) and reported pain was lower in EB (2.0 ± 0.6) than PB (2.7 ± 0.8; P = .025) while EMG was similar (P = .646). DISCUSSION: EB consumption decreased cramp susceptibility and pain but did not prevent cramping in any participants. These results suggest that electrolyte consumption independent of hydration can influence cramp susceptibility in young people.
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Earp et al. (2019) studied this question.
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