Do you need electrolyte or "performance" drinks?

One of my favorite cartoons showed two young men walking off the basketball court, one saying, “I am bushed; I must be really low in electrolytes;” Response: “yes, we really need some electrolytes right away. “ First man: “What are electrolytes?”

Electrolytes are minerals, predominantly sodium, potassium and calcium in the human body, that both circulate in the blood and are inside our cells, that regulate our fluid balance. The body tightly regulates the levels of electrolytes under most conditions.

You lose electrolytes, predominantly sodium, along with water when you sweat. If you lose enough, you become dehydrated and can suffer low blood pressure and feel faint.

Under most circumstances, drinking water is all you need to balance the fluid loss from heavy exercise and sweating. Rarely, if you are doing an endurance exercise such as running a marathon, particularly in hot weather, and are drinking large amounts of water, you can dilute down your serum sodium to dangerous levels. There have even been deaths.

Dozens of “sports drinks” promise to replace your electrolytes and improve your athletic performance. Most also contain lots of sugar, though sugar-free varieties are available.

Do you need these? Almost certainly not. For most sports activities, simply drinking water is fine. Remember that you also get electrolytes in your food. Bananas are rich in potassium; dairy products are rich in calcium and many foods contain sodium.

If there is anything useful in these drinks, it is more likely the sugar, which will give you quick energy for exercise. The amount of electrolytes they contain is generally modest and will not have an impact on your performance or health.

There have been recorded cases of toxins such as arsenic in these commercial sports drinks.

So, save your money. Carry a water bottle when you exercise in warm conditions and have a few pretzels when you get home.

Another product of which to be wary are the “energy drinks” and “energy shots” such as Monster, Red Bull, Celsius and Rock Star. These contain large amounts of caffeine and are often consumed by people who should get off the road or put away their books and sleep rather than force themselves to stay awake. These can cause serious heart problems and are best avoided by most of us, particularly young people.


Prescription for Bankruptcy. Buy the book on Amazon