the science
nuun is a simple and easy to use
solution but addresses a serious issue. we spent a lot of time
getting the performance of the product right and ensuring the
optimal balance. if you’d like to know more about what
nuun is, and why, read this...
formulation and nutrition
nuun’s formulation is
based upon research and feedback from some of the world’s
top academic and practicing experts in the field of sports
medicine (specifically in dehydration and hyponatremia).
development focused on the three most important aspects for
proper hydration:
speed of absorption
the most important characteristic of what you
drink while you are active is the speed at which your body can
absorb it. the concentration of dissolved salts and sugars
(osmolarity, for those more technically inclined) determines how
fast the drink can cross from your gut into your bloodstream
where it can re-hydrate and replenish. nuun
produces a hypotonic solution so that your body will absorb
nuun faster than the leading “sports
drinks” or even water alone. your body is therefore, able
to restore optimal water and electrolyte balance more
quickly.
electrolyte content
the american college of sports medicine
recommends that people who are active for more than one hour get
500–700mg of sodium for every litre of water they consume.
this is up to three times the sodium that traditional
“sports drinks” provide. in fact, some experts in the
field believe that sodium concentrations should be closer to the
700–1000mg range. nuun provides 700mg of
sodium for every litre of drink - this amount, in addition to the
other critical electrolytes contained in every
nuun tablet, ensures that you are adequately
replenishing your body’s stores to help you perform at your
best, and stay healthy.
carbohydrate content
to ensure rapid absorption, nuun
contains no carbohydrates. ingesting drinks containing high
levels of carbohydrates can have two undesirable effects when it
comes to hydration. carbohydrates can slow the rate at which your
stomach empties and therefore delays the availability of the
water and electrolytes. they also increase the osmolality of what
you are drinking; delaying absorption beyond your stomach. please
note: if you are participating in intense exercise for more than
one hour you should also consume carbohydrates to ensure that you
can sustain energy levels for working muscles. carbohydrate
loaded sports bars, or gels are effective means of providing you
with the energy you require.
nutritional information
the following is the nutritional information for
a serving of nuun based on one tablet dissolved
in 500ml (~16oz) of water. there are 6 calories per
nuun tab.
| active ingredients |
level (mg) |
| Sodium (carbonates) | 360.0 |
| Potassium (bicarbonate) | 100.0 |
| Calcium (carbonate) | 12.5 |
| Magnesium (sulfate) | 25.0 |
| Vitamin C | 37.5 |
| Vitamin B2 | 500mcg |
other ingredients: citric acid, sorbitol, sodium
carbonate, natural colours flavours, sodium bicarbonate,
potassium bicarbonate, polyethylene glycol, magnesium sulfate,
sodium benzoate, calcium carbonate, acesulfame potassium,
riboflavin-5-phosphate.
hyponatremia -
what is it?
we hear a lot about drinking more water being
good for us but the increasing reports of hyponatremia showcase
the fact that water is not always enough, especially when being
consumed in large quantities over short periods of time.
hyponatremia is the long word for low concentration of sodium in
the blood and can occur from over hydrating with plain water.
doing this, especially during exercise can deplete essential
electrolytes from the body, causing disorientation, illness and
in rare cases, death. for athletes, effects are generally seen in
longer (and hotter) races since that’s when the levels of
water intake are likely to be high.
so how does it occur?
there are a number of different drivers for
hyponatremia and the answer is not simple, but if you imagine
that when sweat (which is salty) is replaced by plain water
(which is not salty) the bloodstream becomes diluted so
there’s less sodium (and potassium etc). sodium,
particularly, is essential for optimal cell function – it
helps with the electrical signals that occur in our bodies and
through osmosis it helps regulate cellular osmotic pressure
(remember that school experiment with the bag-like thing and the
salty water?). when hyponatremia occurs the cells throughout the
body take on more water than normal and expand. rings and watches
will get tight, you’ll look all puffy and, the bad bit,
your brain swells. since your brain is in a rather inflexible
skull...it gets a bit squished and that’s where the
disorientation (and the fatalities) come from.
when does it happen?
we get letters and emails from people who have
suffered from some degree of hyponatremia and often the common
link is that they were preparing for a tough event in a tough/hot
environment, like a ride in death valley or a long run in a
canyon, but you can get hyponatremia anywhere that you’re
consuming a large quantity of water without electrolytes. a good
electrolyte sports drink will do a lot to help prevent
hyponatremia and this has been well documented and accepted in
medical journals. “maybe we need to make sure there is more
sodium in the beverages we're encouraging athletes to drink,"
says nancy auer, md, vice president of medical affairs at swedish
medical center in seattle. as for the "conventional wisdom"
behind the handouts of free water at athletic events, "that
wisdom may not be the best wisdom."
what can you do to avoid it?
our advice? be sensible. take on electrolytes,
either in a sports drink, with nuun (which is obviously a sports
drink...but without the sugars that most have) or using salt
caps. just be aware of the potential issues of taking on lots of
plain water. water’s good, there’s no argument there,
but in extremes (and often less than extremes) you need more than
water alone.
back to top
|