What’s behind the fever for drinking electrolytes every day

During a trip to Mexico, the heat passed me an invoice. She was soaked in sweat, exhausted, with dry mouth, despite not stopping drinking water. At that time, a friend offered me a drink with electrolytes. I tried it, without many expectations … but the truth is that something changed. I felt better. It was the first time I tried something like that. Since then, I have asked myself: did you really need those electrolytes or was it pure placebo effect?

What are exactly? To understand it easily, electrolytes are minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium or chloride. However, there is a superlative difference that makes it different: they are electrically loaded. In other words, they play a fundamental role in processes such as heart rate regulation, muscles contraction, nerve function and liquid balance in the body, According to Medlineplus.

And how do you lose them? They leave with sweat, with urine, and also when you are sick and your body loses liquid quickly. In such cases, replenishing them is not a whim, but a necessity. Dr. Javier Marhuenda, nutrition expert, He has warned at the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in losing too many can have serious consequences: from fatigue and spasms to heart problems or seizures.

Should we replenish them daily? The short answer is: not necessarily. And for most people, it is not recommended either. In a report for The New York Times They have pointed out That there is a belief that we need to replace electrolytes constantly, even in moderate training or in everyday life. However, this theory does not have as much scientific support as it seems. “Everyone believes that they need to replenish lost electrolytes immediately,” Dr. Tamara Hew-Boutler, a scientist of sports medicine at Wayne State University, said for the New York environment.

It is easier to find them. Actually, a balanced diet already provides the necessary electrolytes. According to nutritionist Heidi Skolnik cited in the same mediumit is not necessary to resort to supplements to obtain electrolytes: everyday foods such as bananas, nuts, legumes or dairy products already provide minerals. Only in specific cases: a dehydration caused by severe diarrhea, high fever, very prolonged exercise sessions or intense exposure to heat, makes sense to use specific drinks with electrolytes. In these scenarios, isotonic drinks can be useful because they usually contain more sodium and potassium than conventional sports options.

Optimized water. Social networks have turned “improved” water into a welfare ritual. Electrolyte mixtures, superfoods, adaptogens, natural caffeine and vitamins parade each morning in Stanley vessels and Owala bottles. In an article for glamor They have summarized it In a very ironic way: “The water alone is out of fashion.”

Danika Daal, Content creator that shares hydration routines in ASMR, He has commented In the fashion magazine: “The videos about electrolytes have had excellent performance. It is a recent trend and there is still little information available.” In this way, electrolytes have thus added to a broader wave of supplements turned into lifestyle: Collagen milkshakes, Tinuras, vitamin envelopes and “loaded waters” that combine multiple ingredients to achieve functional and tasty well -being. According to Stacie Stephenson, an expert in functional medicine interviewed by glamor: “If the taste helps a person drink more water, welcome. But there is nothing wrong with classical water.”

But is there any risk? The electrolyte content in these products is not usually so high as to cause hypernatremia (too sodium) or hyperkalemia (too potassium), although it is important to check tags: some drinks contain Both sugar and a soda. In addition, like most supplements, They are not regulated with the same rigor as medications.

Another risk is to drink too much water without replenishing sodium. This imbalance, known as hyponatremiA, it is uncommon but it can be serious, especially in athletes that train for many hours.

So, I need them or not? The answer is not black or white. As Marhuenda has summarized: “A person must use these drinks based on their individual needs and their level of activity.” A yoga class is not the same in the park as a triathlon in summer.

For those who do intense exercise, they work in the sun or are sick, electrolytes can be useful, even necessary. But for the general population, with a balanced diet and an active lifestyle but not extreme, water – yes, only water – remains enough.

Between fashion and physiology. That day in that town in Mexico, the bottle of electrolytes was my relief. Did you really need those minerals or was it the power of salty flavor and autosugestion? Maybe both. The truth is that, beyond marketing, science insists that hydration begins with water.

As Dr. Kenefick has detailed to The New York Times: “Many drinks are marketed using electrolytes as a marketing tool.” And while the market bombards us with promises of optimized hydration, the most effective recommendation remains that your mother repeated again and again: drink water.

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