There’s been a lack of clear guidelines around how much sodium to take before, during and after exercise, to optimise health and performance. That created a vacuum, which anyone with a vested interest was more than happy to fill with suggestions. But we’re now getting to the stage where we can make some more specific, quantifiable recommendations about sodium for endurance athletes, before, during and after exercise. I had the privilege of being invited to put these recommendations together, so in this episode, I’ll walk you through them.  

Timestamps:

02:37 - Do athletes need more sodium on a day-to-day basis?

14:42 - Sodium before exercise

25:25 - Sodium during exercise

44:32 - Sodium after exercise

49:28 - TLDL: Summary

52:13 - Unanswered questions

Read the research paper (open access):

McCubbin AJ. Sodium intake for athletes before, during and after exercise: review and recommendations. Performance Nutrition. 2025; 1:11. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s44410-025-00011-9

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