Fall Update

Fall has not slowed down the elete athletes.

Sarah Kaufmann teamed up with KC Holley last weekend to take on the Duo Women's 24 Hour National Championships. They traded laps and after 24 hours, came away with the win, having ridden a total of sixteen laps - eight each over the technical and rough Moab course.

With less a week of recovery, Sarah overcame the lingering fatigue of the 24 duo and turned in a second place finish at the Utah Cyclocross race the following weekend.

Lanny and Tracy Barnes are just gearing up for their biathlon season and the twins were in Heber, Utah at the site of the 2002 Olympic venue for a training week that culminated in a relay race, which the twins teamed up to win. Here, Lanny takes aim.

Sonya Looney has also been trying her hand at Cyclocross and finished second and sixth in her first two races of the season. Sonya is also preparing for something very different from Cross... she and Jeff Kerkove will be teaming up to race the Claro Brazil Ride Stage Race in November. They have been sent a big package of elete to get them through the hot, humid, strenuous days there!

elete Exposure

Local crit racing here in Ogden - right downtown. I teamed up Nicky Waangsgard and Kelsy Bingham, members of the local Rooster's team that is sponsored by elete. We were working for Kelsy to get the win and she did. Myself and Nicky buried ourselves and it paid off to get Kels on top of the podium. Here we are during what appears to be a bit of a lull in the action. Kels and Nicky to my left and right.

Fall Hydration; Cyclocross!

As the weather turns, many cyclists turn their attention from road or trails to Cyclocross!

Although Fall and wet weather don't usually mean hot racing conditions, Cyclocross is unique because riders typically don't drink during the race. While the races are short enough to not require a bottle, they are certainly long and hard enough to get super thirsty and start the nasty sequence that results in dehydration.

But there is something you can do! Mix some elete in your warmup bottle or sip on some water with elete as you drive to the race venue. In a clinical study conducted on smokejumper firefighters (the abstract for the study can be found here), firefighters who drank water alone needed to drink 74% - 74%!!! - more water to achieve the same levels of hydration as those firefighters drinking water with elete!

If you are racing Cross and you won't be able to drink during the race, the best thing you can do is to start the race well hydrated. Drink elete before and after the race and don't let dehydration ruin your day!

Many Medications Can Induce Electrolyte Deficiency

Athletes can lose electrolytes during exertion and sweating. But did you also know that you can significantly deplete electrolytes in the body just by taking certain prescription medications?

One of the nutritional issues that is not well known by consumers and the public is that many common prescription medications can induce or cause certain electrolytes and nutrients to become very low or depleted in the body. This can also cause drug-induced nutritional deficiencies where the body has a deficit or negative balance of a particular mineral in the cells and tissues.

Recently I came across a two-part series by Hyla Cass, M.D., a well known expert on medical and nutrition issues.

In her article, which appeared on The Huffington Post, Cass lists all of the common prescription medications and the interactions these medications ARE KNOWN TO HAVE in upsetting the balance of electrolytes in the body.

Below are some of the common medications and their interaction(s):

High-Blood Pressure Medications (Anti-hypertensives): Thiazide-type diuretics can deplete potassium, an essential electrolyte, from the body. Doctors often prescribe potassium to offset K depletion caused by these drugs. BUT these diuretics also rob other minerals and trace elements including magnesium, sodium, potassium, and zinc, which as Cass notes, "are seldom supplemented." One study found that hypokalemia was present in 8.5% of patients treated with thiazide diuretics and hyponatremia (low sodium) in 13.7% of the same patients. Thizide diuretics also decrease magnesium, an essential mineral, in 20% of pateients and decrease serum zinc, a trace element.

Acid-Blockers, Antacids, PPI and H2 Blockers: Commonly prescribed to treat heartburn and Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) and peptic ulcers, these drugs cause several nutrient deficiencies. OTC antacids are decised to buffer or neutralize stomach acid, but this reduction of stomach acid can also interfere with the breakdown of food in the stomach, and, hence, the breakdown and release of nutrients in food. The lack of stomach acid (achlorhydria) similarly interferes with the absorption of folic acid, iron, and zinc. One study found that people who use proton-pump inhibitors for a year or more are 2.5 times more likely to suffer from hip fracture versus control patients. So Cass recomends taking supplementing with folic acid, vitamin D, calcium, chromium, iron, zinc, and phosphorous.

Oral Contraceptives & Hormon Replacement Therapy: Women, pay attention: you are especially at risk of nutrient deficiencies. Young women who are taking oral contraceptives (the pill) and baby boomers who are using hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, are at risk for depletions of magnesium, B6,B12, and folic acid. For women who are taking HRT, Cass recommends taking supplemental calcium, magnesium, folic acid, B2,B6, vitamin C and zinc.

Antibiotics: Some antibiotics including floxacins deplete calcium and iron; tetracyclines deplete calcium and magnesium. Aminoglycosides cause imbalanced magnesium, calcium and potassium levels. One study found that gentamicin increased calcium excretion by 5% and magnesium by 8.4%. Antibiotics will also upset the balance of natural and "good" bacteria flora in the digestive system such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterum bifidum; therefore, it's a good idea, too, if you're taking an antibiotic to ensure that you replace those friendly bacteria. This can also help reduce some of the side effects (stomach cramps, diarrhea) associated with antibiotics.

It may seem benign that certain medications can affect or even impede the absorption of electrolytes or other minerals and vitamins, but these interactions, especially if some of these medications are taken long-term, can multiply into significant nutritional consequences for individuals.

-Karie Anderson

Source:
Cass, H. (n.d.). Is Your Medication Robbing You of Nutrients Part 2: Getting Specific. Retrieved September 15, 2010, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hyla-cass-md/is-your-medication-robbin_1_b_691711.html

Hey there.

We just received an awesome testimonial from U.S. Biathlete champ Tracy Barnes who recently competed in the D2R2 and who used elete and tablytes extensively during the race.

Tracy writes:

"I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate elete!! A week ago I did one of the hardest century rides in the world, the D2R2 and it was awesome. The organizers claim it is one of the hardest century rides in the world. It was 112 miles, 16,000 feet of accent, and 70% on dirt roads. It was awesome. It took us just under 10 hours! Long and tough! It was in western Massachusetts. We did it on cyclocross bikes. There were several climbs that were over 25%! It was fairly warm and having a ride that long I was worrying about cramping at some point, I put elete in my water bottles and took a tablyte every couple of hours and didn’t have a single cramp, in fact I felt awesome! I kept expecting to suffer, but never did. It was an awesome ride.
Hope all is well with you. Take care."
-Tracy Barnes
U.S. Biathlon

FAQ: What is the expiration date for elete?

One of the intentions of this blog is to also convey important product and user information.

If you have a question about elete, how to use it, a question about the company or product, please drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you.

This week, we received the following question from MaryRose who asks:

"I was wondering what the expiration for a small bottle of elete would be?"
Thanks,
MaryRose

Val J. Anderson, Director of Sales and Marketing responds:

"Thank you for your enquiry. The Best Use By Date should appear on the very bottom, or base, of the bottle.

Typically, the expiration date is three years from the bottling date. The Best Use By Date is the time frame that we guarantee the product; however, you should know that the product is shelf-stable in that it doesn't grow bacteria or lose potency.

I have personally used various bottles that had passed the best use by date without any concern. However, if you have further questions or concerns about expirations dates and the potency of elete, please feel free to give us a call at 800.669.1297."

Thanks for the question MaryRose. And please feel free to send in your questions to info@eletewater.com.

Fall Update

After starting this blog and barely posting, it seems like as good a time as any to update with a bit of elete news. The summer season is winding down and we are moving into winter.

elete summer athletes closed out the season in fine fashion. The Topeak-Ergon team closed out the season at the 24 Hours of Moab, which were also the 24 Hour National Championships. Sonya Looney and Yuki Saito raced in the duo coed category and pulled off a third place, despite stomach problems for Yuki. Eddie O'Dea took on the solo category but succumbed to a prior knee issue that redeveloped as a result of the cold overnight temps.

Yours truly, Sarah Kaufmann, squeezed out a second place in the womens' solo category. The race was super and unfolded quite unpredictably. After the first lap, pre-race favorite, Pua Sawicki, had gone off the front and myself, Ezster Horanyi and, other pre-race favorite, Jari Kirkland, finished our first lap together. Sadly, Jari crashed out during her second lap. Ezster and I would remain anywhere from one to 10 minutes apart until 4am, when I had some issues with my light. Between my body breaking down, lack of light and trying to fix my light, I lost 20 minutes on that lap and lost any chances I had of catching Ezster. At that point, I turned my attention to securing second, slowing my pace significantly, completing another two laps and calling it a race.

As further proof that winter is upon us (aside from the snow-capped mountains visible from our office window...), our olympic biathlon twins, Lanny and Tracey Barnes, were in nearby Heber City for a training camp. The girls skiied on snow and drove through a whiteout on their first day. They took first and second and second and third in their two races during the camp. Expect big things from the girls this winter in Vancouver!

elete is not just a summer product! Good hydration supports proper circuation (read: your fingers and toes stay warm and don't get numb). Drop some elete in your pack, drink all day and stay warm. Counterintuitive, I know...but it works. Trust me :)