Science 09 October, 2011

Potassium

What is potassium?
Potassium is an essential mineral. Like sodium, it binds readily with other minerals, and does not occur naturally in an unbound state. Potassium is required for the proper functioning of many major organ systems.

Why is potassium necessary?
Potassium is essential for the heart, kidneys, muscles, nerves, and digestive system to operate normally, and is required for regulating fluid balance, the body's acid-base balance, and blood pressure.

What are the signs of a deficiency?
Potassium deficiency symptoms include irregular heartbeat, muscle weakness and mood changes, as well as nausea and vomiting. People with kidney disease, gastrointestinal disease and those who take diuretics may have lower levels of potassium.

How much, and what kind, does an adult need?
Although daily multivitamin supplements may contain tiny amounts of potassium as part of their multi-mineral complexes, Dr. Weil does not recommend potassium supplements, except as prescribed by a physician.

How much does a child need?
Although daily multivitamin supplements may contain tiny amounts of potassium as part of their multi-mineral complexes, Dr. Weil does not recommend potassium supplements, except as prescribed by a physician.

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Science 09 October, 2011

Coffee Drinking Linked to Less Depression in Women

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Morning pick-me-up? For many women, the mood-elevating effects of a cup of coffee may be more than fleeting.

A new study shows that women who regularly drink coffee — the fully caffeinated kind — have a 20 percent lower risk of depression than nondrinkers. Decaf, soft drinks, chocolate, tea and other sources of caffeine did not offer the same protection against depression, possibly because of their lower levels of caffeine, the authors say.

Dr. Albert Ascherio, an author of the study and professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, said it was too early to recommend that women load up on extra lattes. More research is needed, he said, and “a very high level of caffeine can increase anxiety” and insomnia, potentially reversing any mood-lifting effects.

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Science 09 October, 2011

How Much to Drink During a Marathon

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The 2011 Chicago Marathon on Sunday marks the beginning of the fall marathon season in the United States, culminating on Nov. 6 with the New York City race. In those two events alone, more than 80,000 runners will attempt to cover the 26.2-mile marathon distance. But two newly released studies suggest that there are reasons to be concerned about some of the racers’ readiness. The studies show that a worrying large percentage of distance runners may not know how to drink.

Some runners may be drinking too much water or other fluids. Others may be taking in too little. And a disconcerting majority don’t seem to be concerned about whether they are drinking a safe amount at all, according to the new reports.

Attitudes and expert guidelines about how much fluid people should drink during prolonged endurance events have changed drastically in the past 15 years. A 1996 Position Stand from the American College of Sports Medicine concluded that “athletes should start drinking early and at regular intervals in an attempt to consume fluids at a rate sufficient to replace all the water lost through sweating (i.e., body weight loss), or consume the maximal amount that can be tolerated.” Many of us who ran a marathon in the 1990s were cautioned to “stay ahead” of our thirst, with the warning that by the time we felt thirsty, we would be clinically dehydrated. (Formal definitions of dehydration vary, but most experts agree that losing more than 3 percent of your body weight can be considered dehydration.)

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