DOES DRINKING WATER DURING EXERCISE MAKE SENSE?
Ever take your water bottle to the gym or on a hike with you? We all hear the advice to drink plenty of water while we are exercising but I’ve been wondering how long it takes to absorb that sip.
Food needs to get chewed up and broken down in order to get into our body. But this isn’t the same for water. Water molecules are small enough that they can move through cell membranes without modification. Where water gets absorbed in our digestive system affects how quickly we can access it.
After we chew our food it goes into the stomach, then into the small intestine, and lastly through the large intestine or colon. Water follows the same path, but our body also puts fluid into the digestive tract from the salivary glands, stomach, pancreas, and liver.
There is some thought that water starts to get absorbed as soon as you drink it. The amount though would be pretty small. This is because the primary absorption happens in the small intestine and to get there water has to pass through your stomach.
Things can sit in your stomach for awhile. Everyone is different in how long that is, but food can take hours to exit.
Most nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine and the large intestine’s responsibility is to absorb water. But this does not mean that the small intestine does not absorb water, it actually does. What happens in the colon is that the excess water not previously absorbed is removed to solidify waste.
About 80% of the water we consume in food and drink absorbs while in the small intestine. This process is affected by the presence of sodium which the body secretes to cause an imbalance that forces water into our cells. This, and other electrolytes, can increase permeability for greater absorption. While the bulk of water is absorbed through cells, some will pass between the cells that form tight junctions.
Magnesium also plays a big role and that is why we get diarrhea if we take too much. The body forces water the other way, back into our intestines, in order to try to balance things out .
A recent study I was reading shows that water can start showing up in the blood stream within five minutes while half was absorbed by around 12 minutes. The bulk of the water was completely absorbed in 2 hours.
This means drinking water during a workout would make sense. We’d actually get to use some of it while we are still exercising. But it is far better to drink most of it a couple hours before so we don’t get dehydrated.
Combining electrolytes with B vitamins, vitamin C, and D-ribose helps replete nutrients and stimulate energy recovery. By the way, if you feel the need to pee right after you drink something, this would not be the same water you just drank. It can take up to 50 days for a complete turnover of all the water in your body.
Andy Pottenger, PharmD, supports optimal health and well being through functional medicine and integrative nutrition.
