Everyone knows that body sweat is not just water. Contains waste products, salts and trace elements. A sauna treatment makes you sweat. Aerobic activity makes you sweat. Elevated temperatures stimulate sweating. Some people see sweating during or after strenuous exercise or other physically demanding activity as a healthy sign, while others tend to see a “loss” of more than just water.
Therefore, it is important to consider if we are only losing bodily waste (which we do not want) every time we sweat profusely, or if we are losing important elements.
It’s not the usual hyperhidrosis.
Concerns about heavy sweating or hyperhidrosis have to do with the appearance of profuse sweating under the arms or sweaty palms. They are usually treated with topical antiperspirants and even with surgery.
People who are diabetic, such as hypoglycemia, may experience heavy sweating as a symptom. But what about profuse body perspiration under normal physical activity? Do we lose important trace elements when this happens?
Research on trace element concentrations in sweat
Researchers at a Japanese university investigated trace element concentrations in sweat during sauna baths. They compared the concentrations of the major elements and trace elements in the sweat collected under the arm with the concentrations of the whole body.
Note that the main elements mentioned in the study include sodium, chlorine or chloride, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, and magnesium.
Sweat also has trace elements, those found in lower concentrations, such as zinc, copper, iron, nickel, chromium, and manganese. These “trace elements” are vital to our health, so it is interesting to find out what happens to the concentrations in our bodies due to regular activities.
Since some people sweat more profusely than others, are they losing more important trace elements than others?
Chromium has been found to be a significant trace mineral in diabetes. Research has shown that the toenails of people with type 2 diabetes have a lower chromium concentration than those of non-diabetics.
Before sweating…
It is quite clear that there are no adverse effects of excessive sweating from physical exercise, manual labor or sauna baths, unless you do not drink enough fluid (water) to replace the loss. However, the researchers caution that your diet must be adequate to replenish lost minerals.
We can also point out the following:
- Sweating is a normal function of the body. Eliminates waste and serves for thermoregulation at the same time.
- According to the research, trace minerals in armpit sweat tended to have a lower concentration than in other areas of the body.
- A normal healthy diet can make up for any loss of trace elements from the body under normal conditions, such as infrared sauna treatments. There was no indication that the researchers showed any concern regarding occasional sauna baths or regular exercise.
- The researchers expressed some concern regarding “athletes and workers who work in a hot environment and regularly sweat heavily.” They recommend that these people ingest adequate amounts of trace elements. A balanced diet can take care of this.
Please continue to exercise, eat right, and stay healthy. A balanced diet is usually all that a person needs to maintain a balance of essential elements in the body.
