BEHAVIOR OF KALEMIA BEFORE AND AFTER HALF IRONMAN TRIATHLON IN BRAZILIAN TRIATHLETES

BüRGER-MENDON A, M.; BIELAVSKY, M.; BARBOSA, F. C. R. Behavior of kalemia before and after half ironman triathlon in brazilian triathletes. Brazilian Journal of Biomotricity, v. 2, n. 2, p. 101-108, 2008.The major intracelular ion is potassium (K+) and its deficience or even low concentration is related to diminished athletic performance. In this study the main goal was to identify the effect of long term physical activity on plasma K+ concentration. Volunteers had blood samples collected before (PRE) and after (POS) half iron man thriatlhon competition. All six volunteers were brazilina amateur ahtletes with age 27,33 ± ,36years, 72,17 ± 4,01 kg body mass, height 177,50 ± 3,94 cm, and IMC 22,84 ± 0,81 kg/m2 (M ±SEM). K+ concentrations in plasma were 3,81 to 4,56 mmol/L before the competition witha mena value of 4,18 ±0,11 mmol/L; imediately afetr competition, potassium values were 3,78 to 5,38 mmol/L, witha mean value of 4,48 ± 0,23 mmol/L, which respresents an incerase of 7,40% in K+ plasma concentration before the competition. There was no statisical significative differnce between K+ concentrations before and after competition (P = 0,285). Our results show a slight but statiscaly insignificant increase in potassium plasma concentration problably due to ion repositors use and water loss. Any voluteer was hypocalemic and all values observerd were inside the normal range.