- Joined
- Oct 22, 2011
- Messages
- 17
This may sound crazy, but hear me out and give some feedback.
On this forum, as well as others, I've seen recipes for electrolyte solutions to add during soaks. First off, great idea. All these recipes are pretty similar, and they all sound like crude Gatorade recipes. A few years back I did a research paper on the effects of Gatorade. This may or may not be a surprise to anyone, but research (done by a university science department) concluded that Gatorade does exactly what it advertises. In fact, some scientists firmly believe that it's better for you than water. Research also concluded that effective electrolyte absorption is dependent on a carefully measured solution. The figures escape me because I'm too lazy to dig through my old school stuff. I do recall however, that electrolyte solutions are made with properly formulated salt solutions. As we all know, too much salt dehydrates you, but too little renders it virtually ineffective. So for future reference if ur stranded at sea with 3/4 of a bottle of water, diluting it with sea water not only gives you more water, but gives you a faster hydrating electrolyte solution. But I digress, given this information and assuming there probably hasn't been any research as to the most effective solution on tortoises; wouldn't Gatorade make an excellent solution to soak our torts in? Contrary to popular belief, it does not contain high fructose corn syrup, and is an excellent source of potassium which helps prevent muscle cramps and spasms. I'm not sure about the artificial coloring and flavors, but Gatorade does have a reputation for making these with surprisingly simple recipes.
Anyone have any other insights on this subject?
On this forum, as well as others, I've seen recipes for electrolyte solutions to add during soaks. First off, great idea. All these recipes are pretty similar, and they all sound like crude Gatorade recipes. A few years back I did a research paper on the effects of Gatorade. This may or may not be a surprise to anyone, but research (done by a university science department) concluded that Gatorade does exactly what it advertises. In fact, some scientists firmly believe that it's better for you than water. Research also concluded that effective electrolyte absorption is dependent on a carefully measured solution. The figures escape me because I'm too lazy to dig through my old school stuff. I do recall however, that electrolyte solutions are made with properly formulated salt solutions. As we all know, too much salt dehydrates you, but too little renders it virtually ineffective. So for future reference if ur stranded at sea with 3/4 of a bottle of water, diluting it with sea water not only gives you more water, but gives you a faster hydrating electrolyte solution. But I digress, given this information and assuming there probably hasn't been any research as to the most effective solution on tortoises; wouldn't Gatorade make an excellent solution to soak our torts in? Contrary to popular belief, it does not contain high fructose corn syrup, and is an excellent source of potassium which helps prevent muscle cramps and spasms. I'm not sure about the artificial coloring and flavors, but Gatorade does have a reputation for making these with surprisingly simple recipes.
Anyone have any other insights on this subject?