Electrolyte powders, soluble tablets and fashionable ready-to-drink waters have moved from the pockets of athletes to one of the most popular wellness categories.
And it’s a crowded market, worth approx it is estimated that in 2025 it will amount to USD 39 billion worldwide and is projected to double over the next decade. Much of the growth was driven by wellness trends and influencer hype cycles such as Prime Hydration, created by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI, which the company said exceeded $1 billion in sales within one year. There are dozens in other internet corners fame AND adjacent to the podcaster All brands promise ways to optimize your hydration experience.
These products are marketed as everyday essentials for everyone from office workers to gym goers and promise to combat brain fog, improve skin condition, eliminate fatigue and aid recovery. Here’s everything you need to know about your electrolyte obsession and when it’s really worth buying these products.
What are electrolytes?
Electrolytes are necessary minerals including sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and chloride that carry an electrical charge when dissolved in a fluid. This charge allows the body to do most of its basic work, such as helping muscles and nerves function properly. They work to ensure fluid balance inside and outside each cell, because a grave imbalance can cause headaches, muscle cramps, dizziness, fatigue and weakness. In more grave cases, severe electrolyte imbalances can interfere with heart function and require treatment.
Who needs electrolytes?
In most fit adults, the body regulates electrolyte levels perfectly well long before trendy flavored moisturizer sticks appeared on supermarket shelves. In fact, if you eat a sensibly balanced diet and drink water when you feel thirsty, there’s a good chance you’re already getting everything you need.
The pouch deserves its place in approximately three situations. Research from American College of Sports Medicine suggest that water alone is sufficient for exercise lasting less than an hour, but electrolytes become increasingly useful during longer sessions of sustained sweat-intensive exercise, especially in high temperatures and humidity. They are also useful for diseases involving high fluid loss, which is why oral rehydration salts are an established treatment rather than a wellness trend. You should also consider them during long periods of fasting when food that usually provides these minerals is not available.
Are there natural electrolytes?
There are many sources of electrolytes in everyday food. If you eat an appropriately varied diet (fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, nuts, seeds), your electrolyte stores are constantly replenished without the need to consume specialized drinks or powders.
Tests by Beverage Hydration Index shows that milk-based drinks can keep you hydrated longer than plain water. The combination of protein, natural electrolytes and diminutive amounts of fat slows the rate at which fluid leaves the stomach, helping the body stay hydrated for longer. Coconut water can also replenish potassium.
Source of nutrition of Harvard’s School of Public Health notes that basically “any drink containing electrolyte minerals can be labeled as an electrolyte drink. Some are very expensive but contain only a small amount of these nutrients, while others may contain a high amount of just one nutrient, such as potassium or sodium.”
Can you have too many electrolytes?
For fit adults, an occasional electrolyte drink is unlikely to cause harm. However, daily consumption can sometimes be counterproductive.
Many electrolyte-containing foods contain significant amounts of sodium, even though most of the population already consumes much more salt than recommended. The World Health Organization estimates that global average daily sodium intake is more than twice the recommended limit, and approximately 1.89 million deaths per year can be linked to excess intake. Adding extra sodium on a regular basis may not be ideal for people dealing with high blood pressure or cardiovascular risk. Some preparations also contain significant amounts of added sugar, making them nutritionally closer to tender drinks than health products.
Anyone recovering from an illness or sweating during an August shift outdoors has legitimate reasons to supplement. For everyone else, the best approach to hydration remains unremarkable. Electrolytes themselves are non-negotiable. Electrolyte products are mostly a lifestyle purchase.
This story originally appeared on WIRED Middle East.