Do You Really Need Electrolytes?

5byfive

5byfive

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For a long time I've been against electrolyte supplements. Mostly they're just salt, and most people don't need them. Still, I went ahead and started taking them lately, only because the GLP1 community keeps pushing the idea that they're essential. But do they actually matter, or is the real issue simply staying hydrated? When it comes to fitness research, Menno Henselmans is the gold standard in my view, and his new video about Electrolytes has made me question whether I should keep using them. Perhaps they help if someone is hit hard by side effects early on and can barely eat, but apart from that, adding extra sodium looks like a bad move. I think I'll go back to my BCAA powder, which is equally pointless, yet it tastes good and contains no sodium.

Josh Brett made a follow-up to his video.

View: https://youtu.be/iWd5oLWxWEc

View: https://youtu.be/-yypmdC5Ykc
 
I'm in a line of work that keeps me outside, active, and in seriously hot, punishing conditions. On the tougher days we lose a ton through sweat and can torch 4000-5000 calories. Even so, the nutrition guidance we're given caps electrolyte solution at 1 packet per day, taken only if needed. And depending on which brand you buy, what's actually in it varies a lot from one electrolyte type to the next.

For the average person who's concerned, my honest suggestion is a pinch of a mineral sea salt blend, something like Celtic, stirred into a glass of water.

There's serious money in the fitness/health space. A lot of these brands are nothing but cash grabs that give you no real benefit.
 
For me, electrolytes mostly come down to this: I'm fine adding salt to food when I feel like it.

Flavored water isn't really my thing, and sports drinks aren't either. If a chance comes up and I'm craving something like Liquid IV, I'll have one — but that's not something that plays any real role in my routine. The most recent occasion was a few months back out in the NV desert; before that, it was probably last summer at work, when a coworker offered me a taste.
 
The bottled-water and electrolyte crowd have sold everyone on a need that mostly is not there, and they keep flogging their products to people who do not stop to question it.
 
My body handles heat poorly, and heat exhaustion comes on fast for me. When I'm outside working in high temperatures and skip drip drop, the result is weakness, sweating, 🥵, and digestive issues. My intake isn't large — on hot days I have no fewer than 1, and if lightheadedness plus stomach cramps set in, I go up to 2.
 
During summer only—when the heat and humidity are high, I'm perspiring heavily, and riding a lot—that's when I use electrolytes. Even in those conditions, it's likely just 2 times per week.

Previously I used them on a consistent basis, but after looking into it, I concluded I was likely throwing money away and potentially causing more negative effects than positive ones.
 
Electrolyte products aren’t part of my routine. Instead, I picked up sea salt that came with a mineral analysis, and I mix up a strong brine in a glass bottle. From there, I fill small squirt bottles and use them to add a kick to my water whenever I feel like it or find it necessary. Because I follow a fairly low-carb diet, do intermittent fasting, and sometimes fast for 48hr-72hr, I end up drinking some of this brine with most of the water I have.

In any case, cramps never happen to me, a twitch in my eyelid stopped, and my BP is great at 110/65 despite how much salt I take in.
 
When my electrolyte intake is too low, I end up feeling seriously nauseous. For me, V8 juice does the job more effectively and more quickly. On top of that, I'm already supplementing with magnesium and potassium. Drinking salty, fruity products such as LMNT is just something I can't handle. I gave homemade versions a shot, but the result was basically identical. Magnesium and potassium don't dissolve all that well even when salt isn't included. Prime Hydration is the only option I can genuinely tolerate, likely due to its low sodium content.
 
Sure, electrolytes become necessary when the GLp is acting quickly enough to bring on hypovolemic dehydration — but you're correct that sodium is off the table. One electrolyte pouch plus Celtic salt spread across 2-3 days could help prevent deficiencies. Just avoid other unnecessary sources of sodium.
 
I tend to be suspicious whenever something is promoted mainly because someone stands to profit, so I start from a place of skepticism. For most people, I suspect the supposed need for electrolytes is exaggerated. That said, there are obvious situations where levels are genuinely low and extra fluids plus electrolytes help—such as illness, intense exertion, or extreme heat.

In my own case, I have multiple autoimmune conditions and can pass out when my electrolytes drop, even if I've been drinking fluids. So there may be other circumstances beyond physical stress where consistent supplementation is warranted. I take 'Salt stick' brand capsules or chewables, and generally I only want plain water to drink.

I also run a farm. When an animal is under stress—especially the young ones, like chicks—electrolytes can revive them right away and sometimes mean the difference between survival and death.

So yes, I believe they get pushed aggressively because there's money in it, but they do matter when you actually need them. The real question is: when is the average person—someone not seriously ill and eating a balanced diet—truly deficient in electrolytes?
 
That's a pretty wide generalization — electrolytes aren't the same thing as sodium. My go-to is 1g Potassium Citrate/100g Magnesium Citrate with just 15mg NaCl.
 
GLP medications may cut how much you drink by a large margin — the amount varies a lot from person to person — yet in my case, my daily fluid intake fell by 50% in 1 night, which was welcome since I had been near 8l per day. That is why getting enough of some kind of fluid matters.

For the majority, diets will not be restrictive enough to push electrolyte consumption down to very low levels, and under almost any conditions the kidneys do a very good job of holding blood electrolyte levels steady.

Still, if a lot of weight has come off, or you are very physically active and perspiring heavily, postural hypotension can set in fairly easily; when standing makes your vision go dark or fuzzy, adding salt or electrolytes makes sense. Taking electrolytes or potassium can also throw blood electrolyte levels out of balance badly enough to cause issues, so these are not always risk-free, even though the kidneys usually handle it.
 
When I started Zepbound, I was extremely dehydrated. Drinking plain water has never been my thing, so my girlfriend recommended hydration packs to give the water some taste. That did the trick for me, and I noticed a real improvement. Even if they aren't strictly required, I continue to have 1 or 2 daily, I feel good, and my blood work looks great.
 
Reta triggered palpitations for me. A single packet of electrolyte containing Mg and K seemed to help, so I continued using them. Over the course of a week, things kept improving. My heart has not been this steady in years. I also added an Mg/K supplement on top of that, but I think I may have gone too far, so I reduced it.

There are many factors at play here, and my sense is that raising your levels takes time, and lowering them again does too. Still, I am firmly persuaded that potassium helps, I was already convinced about magnesium, and I remain unsure about sodium. Because of that, I moved to a brand with VitC and a lot less sodium. Push away.
 
My surgeon, who handles my bariatric care, is adamant that I take some kind of electrolyte product every single day, and more when activity levels are high. Saltt is where my top picks come from (Cocoa Loco ranks first for me), and Magna, Salud and Hydromate are ones I enjoy too. On days that are especially hot with a lot of activity, combining Magna and Saltt in one oversized cup is something I'll do. Whenever Salud or Hydromate is what I'm using, Ketochow daily mineral drops get added so the electrolyte content is higher. Taken by itself, that one tastes awful.
 
For the vast majority of people, I've long believed electrolyte mixes are a pointless gimmick. I'm sure there are valid uses for them, but in my view, most of the people taking them don't actually require them.
 
I'm with you—if you're hydrating properly, there's no reason to spend money on those wildly overpriced name-brand electrolyte products. Watermelon LMNT tasted great to me, but the cost put me off. That sent me down a rabbit hole looking up DIY electrolyte powder recipes. For the hell of it, I picked up potassium chloride, magnesium malate, citric acid, and sea salt in bulk, then sweetened and flavored it with whatever drink mix I felt like. It's not something anyone has to do, but I get some enjoyment out of having it now and then.
 
Cheap electrolyte products tend to be mostly sodium. The better ones cut back on sodium and include more potassium, calcium, and so on.

When there are clues of an imbalance — frequent cramps, for instance — they can help a lot. Usually a single serving, well diluted, covers a day.
 
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