Over the years we have been asked why Trainade works so well in hydrating our athletes. Everyone from World Champions, world record holders, and Olympians to your everyday gym goer will comment on how it makes them feel SO much better. But why is that?
To understand why, you need to understand the concept of hypotonic oral rehydration solutions, or hypotonic ORS for short.
Hypotonic ORS are highly effective for rapid rehydration due to their unique composition and use of the body's physiological hydration pathways. Unlike isotonic drinks like Powerade or hypertonic solutions like Maximus, LMNT, or other highly salty drinks, hypotonic ORS have a lower solute concentration than the body's cells.
What the heck does that mean? Well, it means the unique concentration of electrolytes, glucose, and water present in Trainade is lower than the total concentration of electrolytes in the blood. This is important because this creates a ‘hydration gradient’ where water is pulled from the place of low concentration to the place of high concentration ie from the gut to the blood.
Let’s nerd out on this for a bit because it is REALLY important!
When a hypotonic solution like Trainade is ingested it moves through the stomach and into the small intestine rapidly. This occurs because the fluid in our small intestine (the Trainade) is a lower concentration than the concentration of our blood plasma (the water in our blood). This allows the fluid from the ‘low’ concentration to be pulled into the ‘high’ concentration, causing rapid hydration of the blood (and thus the rest of the body).
This rapid absorption is critical for restoring hydration of the body because the blood is the highway of the body and it supplies nutrients, oxygen and water to all of the cells in the body.
The true superstar of the Trainade formula is the ratio of sodium to glucose when mixed in water. This ratio of sodium and glucose utilizes a rapid transporter called the sodium-glucose-linked transporter (SGLT-1). Not only do you make the most of the natural gradient between low and high, but you utilize this transporter to accelerate water into the blood. This is why so many people report feeling ‘so good’ so soon after drinking Trainade.
This formula is unique to Trainade and is why so many people feel SO good SO soon after drinking where this is not the case with high carb, high sodium or other drinks that have much higher concentrations.
Science sure is great, especially when you use it to hydrate your best self.
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