Imagine you have a non-fat latte in the morning, a chicken salad and diet soda for lunch, and later decide to go for a run to burn off those sweet potato fries you stole from your friend. Although you don’t feel thirsty when you begin your run, your body is already relatively dehydrated. Even when we engage in zero activity it is important to stay hydrated and in times of vigorous or even mild exercise, replacing lost fluids is crucial for performance and recovery.
Due to our body’s highly efficient ability to adapt, although sustainable, staying in a mild state of dehydration is not optimal to keep your body functioning at optimal levels. This is often referred to a state of chronic dehydration, which is experienced by many Americans due to the plethora of easily accessible, non-hydrating, cheap and delicious beverages.
When your body has become accustomed to dehydrating habits and then you engage in physical exertion, your sensation of thirst may not kick in until your electrolyte levels and hydration status are physically threatening. Consequently, this may potentially cause unnecessary exhaustion, cramping and performance impedance. In fact clinical studies have shown that a 5% decrease in hydration may result in a 30% decrease in athletic performance.
Although you drink water in response to your thirst, your body is not able to transport the fluid quick enough to immediately restore hydration. As an endurance athlete himself, Dr. Joshua Windmiller, CEO, saw an opportunity to address the issue of quantifying fluid and electrolyte loss for recreational and endurance athletes through the creation of Electrozyme.
Electrozyme uses proprietary algorithms and sensors to measure and track your body’s fluid and electrolyte status. When incorporated into your personal fitness wearable, Electrozyme is able to quantify electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium in your sweat, and can alert you to replenish lost electrolytes. Even before you realize it!
Electrozyme’s uniquely thin, paper-like design lies in the device’s screen-printed manufacturing process, which not only reduces cost substantially, but has minimal environmental impact. Previous technology has resulted in more rigid and bulky lab-based sensors that are not body conforming. The company anticipates that its technology will be available to the public in 2016.