EAs you may have noticed, electrolytes are suddenly everywhere. In fact, these minerals are always present in our bodies and in the things we eat and drink. If you have an upset stomach or feel dehydrated after a marathon, you may have purchased sachets. But now they are advertised on everyday food packaging, flagged with oversized numbers, and heavily promoted in commercials. “400 milligrams of electrolytes, oh my god!” screams wrestler Logan Paul. promotional video It has been viewed over 8 million times on X. What he and fellow YouTubers MrBeast and KSI are selling is not a nutritional supplement, but a new lunch product for kids.
It’s not just online influencers who are excited. In 2022, Global demand for “flavored water/functional water” It is worth $50.3bn (£37.6bn), and this figure is expected to rise to $112.6bn (£84bn) by 2030. Liquid IV, an electrolyte blending company that promises ‘faster hydration than water alone’, landed in the UK this year. , which claims to improve sleep and gut health in a variety of flavors. W Wellness The company, which offers bespoke supplement packaging, has seen sales of electrolytes soar 40% in the past year. and emerging brands Oshunsells a concentrate in a pump bottle designed to be added to regular water, which recently sold out after a glowing review from Instagram influencer Trinny Woodall.
But have we changed anything in our daily lives to require this? Is the true path to fitness and focus really just a quick spritz of a sachet of powder or concentrate? Do we all need to balance our body’s mineral intake like elite endurance athletes just to get through daily life?
Starting with the basics, electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical charge when dissolved in certain liquids. The human body relies on sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate. Our bodies produce bicarbonate on their own, so our phosphate and calcium needs can easily be met through the food we eat. Sodium chloride – or table salt – covers two more bases. Therefore, the electrolytes most commonly found in drinks and supplements are potassium, magnesium, and sodium. We’ll explain why later (hint: it’s cheap). As for why you need them, the list is long.
“Electrolytes are essential for many functions in the body, including maintaining fluid levels, assisting heart and nerve function, and regulating blood pressure,” says Dr. Roberts, a nutritionist and associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at Missouri State University. Natalie Allen says. Magnesium helps with everything from muscle and nerve function to bone health, and chloride helps with fluid balance and digestion. Potassium helps regulate heart rate, lower blood pressure, and regulate kidney function, while calcium, sodium, and potassium are required for muscle contraction. Without electrolytes, the body quickly faces serious problems. But are we in danger of running out of them as much as some companies would like to believe?
Well, it depends on what you’re doing. The main route for losing electrolytes is through body fluids, so the greatest risk for healthy people is through illness or bouts of diarrhea. Other more chronic conditions can also cause problems. For example, Sibo (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) can impair nutrient absorption and make it difficult for your body to get the minerals it needs.
But for many of us, the biggest problem lies in our drinking habits. “If you’re drinking a lot of alcohol, you’re at risk of dehydration, which can lead to imbalanced electrolyte levels,” says Laura Southern, a nutritional therapist at W-Wellness. “Long-term alcohol misuse can negatively impact kidney function, making it difficult to regulate body fluid and electrolyte levels.” In case you’re wondering: Electrolytes may possibly reduce hangover symptoms by helping you stay hydrated after drinking too much, but they don’t reduce the serious health risks associated with alcohol.
Caffeine has a diuretic effect similar to alcohol, but some evidence This means that it may reduce the reabsorption of magnesium after drinking, lowering overall levels in the body. If you’re drinking an Americano or a pint to get through a tough day at the office, think again. According to a review of research, Stress can affect electrolyte levels It is possible by increasing the amount of minerals excreted through urine, but more research is needed.
However, in general, the group most likely to benefit from an immediate infusion of electrolytes are those who engage in hard-charging exercise. For example, an endurance athlete who does several sessions a week or a gym goer who maintains high intensity.
It is also important how much water is lost and what is in it. “For people who sweat a lot, that’s something to really consider,” Southern says. “If you’re running a marathon in a hot, humid environment and drink a lot of water, the water can flush out sodium, putting you at some risk of hyponatremia, where the sodium concentration in your blood gets too low.”Exercise Regular gym-goers who drink water during and after their workouts have little to worry about, she says. Also, if you sweat and your t-shirt or sportswear turns a little white or crusty when it dries, it’s a sign that you’re actually losing a significant amount of electrolytes. ” (postscript: One of the 2008 studies It was found that as the amount of sweat increases, the salt concentration in sweat increases. )
Weight and body composition also play a role. “Muscle stores more water than fat,” says Southern. “In other words, people with less body fat and more muscle have more water content in their bodies than people with more weight and less muscle. If you’re in the latter group, electrolytes help keep you hydrated throughout the day. It helps keep you safe.”
What happens to people who don’t run on the treadmill? “It really depends on who the person is, their life stage, and their diet,” Southern says. “For example, as we age, muscle mass tends to decrease while fat increases. This can reduce total water in the body and increase the risk of electrolyte imbalances.”
However, it also depends on which electrolyte you are talking about. Sodium is something most of us get more than enough of, she says. “Because obviously it’s salt, which can be a big risk factor for things like high blood pressure and high blood pressure.” Furthermore, she added: “Magnesium is something that many of my clients are often very deficient in. This is the first thing they notice.” [symptoms] These include stress, lack of sleep, and muscle spasms. ”
To complicate things further, electrolytes also interact. Excess sodium in the body can increase potassium excretion as the body attempts to stabilize overall electrolyte levels. This is not ideal. Most people can benefit from lowering their sodium intake, and at least one large meta-analysis suggests that you can reduce your sodium intake. lower blood pressureincreasing your potassium intake can help keep your blood pressure at normal levels. Diet is also something to consider. Low-carbohydrate diets tend to keep blood sugar levels low, which can have a knock-on effect on insulin levels and cause more sodium to be excreted from the body.
So how much do you really need to worry about your electrolyte intake? If you’re already eating a balanced diet (and don’t sweat too often), it might not be all that much. “Most people can meet their electrolyte needs by maintaining a healthy diet with a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and high-quality proteins,” Vermont Nutritionist , says Jill Hassells. “Some foods are overlooked as hydrators, but they provide a natural, balanced source of electrolytes. For example, yogurt is a good source of potassium and magnesium.” Green leafy vegetables, nuts , seeds, dark chocolate, and whole grains are all good sources of magnesium, and bananas, avocados, and coconut water can help replenish potassium.
Depending on where it comes from, water can also be helpful. Tap water typically contains small amounts of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium, but mineral waters naturally contain more calcium, magnesium, and potassium, and some brands have decent amounts. Contains enough calcium, magnesium, and potassium to make. Contributes to daily needs. The amount of bottled (non-mineral) water depends on where it comes from.
But this brings us to one of the biggest problems with electrolyte content claims. When a food or supplement manufacturer says that their product simply has “more” electrolytes than its competitors, that’s not a particularly useful metric.
Sodium, for example, is easy and cheap to add to almost anything, but you’re almost certainly already getting enough of it. Technically speaking, you could argue that McDonald’s triple cheeseburger is packed with electrolytes, but in reality it’s just way more salty (I counted 3.3g, or the WHO recommended amount). more than half of the daily intake). If you need to add salt to your diet, for example if you are training for a triathlon, adding a pinch of salt to your water is sufficient and no special preparations are required.
Similarly, glucose helps absorb electrolytes, but most of us don’t need them. “Look at what it says on the label,” says Melanie Betts, a nutritionist and kidney health expert. “Electrolyte drinks tend to be high in sodium and sugar, a fair amount because they are easy to obtain and cheap, but people in the West already consume more sodium and sugar than they need, so electrolyte drinks tend to be high in sodium and sugar. This only makes the situation worse.”
So why the sudden focus? “I think, in part, people are more active now and more aware of the benefits of staying hydrated,” Southern says. “But I also think it’s a really nice, easy thing that you can incorporate into your daily life without too much effort. People want to know what’s good for them without being too expensive or too complicated, which is a problem with some supplements.” I feel like I am doing something.”
“We think this is similar to the protein movement we saw in 2016,” says Joe Welsted, founder of electrolyte retailer Oshun. “Suddenly, people became more aware of the benefits of getting enough protein in their diet, and realized that the benefits go beyond what athletes need. The same goes for electrolytes. If you can stop consuming caffeine first thing in the morning and instead focus on proper hydration, you’ll feel much better. And there are many downstream benefits to being properly hydrated. You’ll feel more focused, but you’ll also be less likely to crave snacks and salt throughout the day.
So what do you take home? If you’re already eating fruits, nuts, leafy vegetables, and protein every day, drinking plenty of water, and trying not to sweat too much, you can probably live your life without worrying too much about excess electrolytes. If you’re sweating a lot, and let’s be honest, you should be sweating at least sometimes. Even if it’s just choosing bottled water from the tap, it’s worth considering them. If you’re feeling stressed, unable to concentrate, or have that 3pm brain fog, electrolytes are one of the cheapest health interventions you can try and the fastest to see results. Don’t forget to check the nutritional information. You can probably get enough salt from your diet without Logan Paul involved.
