What Are Electrolytes, Anyway?

In theory, grocery shopping for water should be pretty straightforward. But once you start perusing the aisle with all the options, you’ll see that there are several different types to choose from, including electrolyte water.

All water contains some electrolytes, but electrolyte waters contain more, typically in the form of sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphate or calcium—all minerals with electrolytes. Water with electrolytes can also be branded as “sports water.” Or perhaps you have seen electrolyte packets that are meant to be added to water or sports drinks playing up the fact that they have electrolytes on the packaging.

Are beverages like these really necessary? To really know, it’s helpful to understand what electrolytes are and their role in the body.

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What Are Electrolytes?

“Electrolytes are a mix of essential minerals such as sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Generally, when consumers or sports drink companies reference electrolytes, they are talking about sodium,” explains Brett Singer, RD, CSSD, a sports dietitian at Memorial Hermann Health System. He says that the reason why sports drink companies use sodium in their drinks is because sodium is the primary electrolyte lost in sweat during exercise. For that reason, it’s often included in sports drinks to replace the electrolytes lost through sweat.

Sports dietitian and Victorem Performance Nutrition owner Jena Brown, RD, CSSD, says that electrolytes are important for several reasons. They are essential for fluid balance, muscle contraction and relaxation, brain function, regulating blood acidity and nerve impulses. “In water, electrolytes break apart or dissociate and conduct electricity in the body,” she says.

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As Singer pointed out, minerals (including potassium and magnesium, to name a couple) are electrolytes. That means any time you eat foods with these minerals (such as bananas, oranges, spinach, lentils, sweet potatoes, nuts, avocado and dark chocolate), you are consuming electrolytes. A very wide range of foods contain electrolytes, so even if you follow a certain diet or eating plan (such as vegan or Mediterranean diet), getting them through food is possible.

With this in mind, does it ever make sense to drink electrolyte beverages?

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Are Electrolyte Drinks Beneficial?

Electrolyte drinks aren’t just a result of clever marketing; both sports dietitians say that there are situations when it can be beneficial to consume them. “Fluid and electrolytes are lost in sweat. Electrolyte drinks are beneficial when high amounts of fluid and electrolytes are lost in sweat during physical activity or extended outdoor activities in heat and humidity,” Brown advises. In other words, an electrolyte drink can help the body recover from electrolytes lost through sweat.

Brown says that electrolyte drinks that have a small amount of sugar can also help hydrate faster than water alone. “Glucose in sugar is needed to absorb sodium, which pulls water into the bloodstream. An electrolyte drink with a small amount of sugar is called an oral rehydration solution and can be helpful if you are dehydrated or need to hydrate quickly,” she explained.

Singer adds to this, saying that drinking an electrolyte beverage after working out can help with fluid retention. He explains that this is because the sodium in the drinks reduces the amount of urine produced, which means that less fluid is being lost. However, if someone is recovering from their workout with a meal or snack, electrolyte drinks are less beneficial because electrolytes are being consumed through the food they're eating.

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While it can be beneficial to drink an electrolyte beverage during or after a workout (or other times when you’re sweating a lot, such as on a hot day), both dietitians say that it isn’t necessary to consume electrolyte drinks otherwise.

“The main misconception I see with electrolyte drinks is that people seem to believe they need to be consuming electrolyte drinks no matter the occasion, to appropriately hydrate. In most scenarios, drinking plain water will be more than sufficient to support hydration needs,” Singer says. “Sip on fluids throughout the day, and emphasize fluid around meals and snacks which will support fluid retention,” he recommends.

Brown says another misconception is that electrolytes can only be found in electrolyte drinks. If you have a sweet potato sprinkled with salt after your workout, for example, she says that will help the body to recover just as well (and you'll get all the other bonus nutrition that sweet potatoes offer). Electrolyte drinks can be helpful, but you can also get the electrolytes your body needs through food.

If you are an athlete, are training for a race or athletic event or work out a lot, Brown says it can be helpful to work with a sports dietitian to make sure you are fueling your body properly both in terms of food and hydration.

Now that you know what electrolytes are and where to find them, you can shop smarter in the water aisle. But when it comes to choosing between still or sparkling, that’s on you!

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Sources

• Brett Singer, RD, CSSD, sports dietitian at Memorial Hermann Health System

• Jena Brown, RD, CSSD, a sports dietitian and owner of Victorem Performance Nutrition in Brenham, Texas