Extra Salt In Hot Weather.

[Sqad]

Just a thought as i have noticed many threads advocating extra salt in hot weather.

During the hot weather and providing that you are not exercising during the day, extra salt is NOT required. One losses fluid during this time and this should be taken, even though one does not feel thirsty and taking extra salt will just dehydrate one further and could well puft a person into a dangerous state.

So...fluid ++ but NOT extra salt.

[Buenchico]

That only goes to show that doctors don't agree!

When I was a Cub Scout Leader, one of our Assistant Leaders at a campsite succumbed to heatstroke, become delirious and semi-conscious. Both a local doctor and an ambulance attended. The doctor went round every scout troop and cub pack on that site and insisted that everyone (adults and children alike) be made to drink salted drinks at regular intervals!

[tonyav]

Where I used to work ( large factory ) when there was any weather like we are experiencing now they would dish out some sort of squash drink with salts in it.

[pixie373]

The average adult apparently has 10x more salt a day than they need, so imo, it is unlikely to be much salt deficiency around.

[Sqad]

Buenchico........my comments to your post above.

Heatstroke..it's causes and treatment have NOTHING to do with salt depletion and the dishing out of salt to the rest of the scout troupe is difficult to understand.

Heatstroke is all about the body being unable to control the rising temperature because of the inability to sweat.

My thread is about salt requirements in hot weather and not HEAT STROKE.

[douglas9401]

Is this condimentary medicine?

[Sqad]

LOL.

[choux]

Reading this I am reminded of decades ago when certain players at Wimbledon would regularly take salt tablets at every changeover. Particularly, I can see Roger Taylor dipping into the small hinged box on the umpire's chair. Taylor seemed to sweat a lot during the matches, but so did (and, do) others. Most players appear to have no problem with the ability to sweat. I have noticed for some considerable time that no player appears to be taking this supplement - Sqad, do you reckon there has been an education over this issue in recent years?

[Sqad]

Choux...maybe.

The electrolyte drinks and the banana that they take between games will contain ALL the electrolytes that they will need and may have lost during the game and salt will be important.

During excessive exercise, one may well lose salt as well as fluid, but my thread was not about exercise but then lack of need for extra salt during hot weather.

Roger Taylor and Federer are taking the same electrolytes but in a different form......so no,scientific methods haven't changed.

[choux]

Ta Sqad. In them there days Joe Public had never heard of electrolytes :)

[Peter Pedant]

well done sqad - good advice

Most of the work ( research ) was done in the North African Campaign...
The only category that needs extra salt are the stokers in coal fired ships and there arent very many of them nowadays.


Running about in fatigues and full kit - I am going to pass on -
the two soldiers that died on a run ( called the 'Fan Dance' I think )
the supervising junior officers are NOT going to be prosecuted....


D n V is obviously rather different - but even there - to get Normal Saline you are looking at half a teaspoon (of salt) in a litre ( quart ) of water....

[Tilly2]

I don't think I've ever seen Roger Federer sweat. He always looks so cool and calm.

[heathfield]

Whilst in the army I served in Aden. There was always an opened tin of salt tablets on every table in the mess. We were encouraged to take one tablet at least once a day.
Many years later, my wife and I were on holiday in the Caribbean. She is an avid sunbather. I taught her to watch out for the symptoms of lack of salt. On one occasion, after a couple of hours in the sun by the pool, she felt slightly dizzy, and decided to head for the bar for some water. On reaching the bar, she passed out, thought only for a few seconds. Concerned waitresses gathered round. As she came to, she asked for some salt, and a glass of water. She swallowed these, and was right as rain in less than a minute later. That's what lack of salt can do.

[Peter Pedant]

Aden 1967 - actually I am astounded to read this,
as the physiology was well worked out by then....

[Sqad]

Heathfield....it is almost certain that the episode that you describe concerning your wife after sunbathing in the Caribbean was that of heat exhaustion made worse by dehydration with salt loss as a minor feature.It was almost certainly the moving her out of the sun into a shady place and giving her cool fluids that brought her recovery.

As far as Aden is concerned.....yes, if they were having a day of military exercises then salt might...just might ...be useful.

[vulcan42]

Serving in the RAF I was posted to, what was then, Christmas Island in the Pacific, for the American Atomic bomb testing series;this was in 1962.We were given, as were the Americans, a large salt tablet every other day. Would this be considered unnecessary these days?

[Sqad]

Vulcan

\\\ a large salt tablet every other day. Would this be considered unnecessary these days?\\\

If you were leading a sedentary day ...then yes, totally unnecessary, but
if you were on patrol with a heavy pack, then a salt tablet may be suitable, although fluid would be your prime concern.

It would be interesting to know if the "boys" in Afghanistan take salt tablets routinely....I would doubt it.

[vulcan42]

Thanks sqad, interesting. I remember everybody being given tablets even those who worked in the offices.Perhaps the MO had shares in the pharmaceutical company.

[heathfield]

I'll take your word for it, Squad. But our experience is that, if we're to be out walking in the tropics in blisteringly hot conditions for any length of time, we'll take a bit of salt with us. When it begins to feel like it's all too much, a pinch of salt and a mouthful of water perks us up and we're ready to go again. Water on its own simply doesn't have the same effect.

[Sqad]

Heathfield

\\\ if we're to be out walking in the tropics in blisteringly hot conditions for any length of time, we'll take a bit of salt with us.\\

The important words in that comment of yours would be...walking/blistering/ length of time.......and in that situation i may not argue, but this thread from the start was about hot weather in the UK, although I admit the topic did widen.

[Hopkirk]

Heathfield, that was confirmed by an 'expert' on the Simon Mayo prog recently.

In extreme conditions, a touch of salt speeds the absorption of water into the body. That is quite a different thing from whether the body needs more salt.

Also there is a danger I would have thought that the public might think that salt is sodium chloride, while the body might actually need different salts.