Electrolyte Drinks: What Are They and Do You Need Them?

From electrolyte-replenishing sports drinks to electrolyte water, it's easy to find electrolyte-charged drinks at almost any store. And for good reason—electrolytes play many important roles in the body. But do you need to take electrolyte drinks in order to keep your electrolyte levels up and your body functioning well? Here, we explore the science and different options for drinks.

What Are Electrolytes?

Electrolytes are minerals that have an electric charge and are found in blood, tissues, organs and other bodily fluids. Sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, phosphate and magnesium are all electrolytes. Electrolytes do a lot of important things in your body. They help keep the amount of water in your body balanced, as well as maintain pH levels and help move nutrients in and out of cells. Electrolytes also help muscles, nerves and organs work properly.

Do You Need Electrolyte Drinks?

If you eat a healthy diet that includes a variety of foods and drink adequate water—so that your urine is clear to pale yellow—you don't need to drink electrolyte drinks on a regular basis because your electrolyte levels are probably balanced. Most Americans consume more than the recommended amount of sodium—2,300 mg or one teaspoon of salt per day. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables helps you get enough potassium, magnesium and calcium.

The amount of water you take in should be about the same as the amount you lose through sweat, urine and other fluids. However, if you lose more fluid than you take in and get dehydrated, you lose electrolytes.

Symptoms of dehydration include dark-colored urine, extreme thirst, fatigue, dizziness, confusion and infrequent urination. And though it's rare, you can also drink too much water and dilute the amount of sodium in your body, leading to hyponatremia.

There are times when you may become dehydrated and electrolyte drinks can help you rehydrate and replenish your electrolytes. Some examples include:

• Being in extreme heat
• Doing an intense workout
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Drinking too much alcohol

What Is in Electrolyte Drinks?

Electrolyte beverages contain water, electrolytes—usually sodium and potassium—and sugar. The main purpose of an electrolyte drink is to help you rehydrate, so electrolyte beverages are mostly water. Varying amounts of sugar and electrolytes are added, depending on the purpose of the beverage. Some electrolyte drinks are targeted for post-exercise recovery, while others are better if you're sick and losing fluids through vomiting or diarrhea.

Sugar

Sugary sports drinks like Gatorade probably come to mind when you think about electrolyte drinks. But do you need sugar in an electrolyte drink? Actually, yes. Sugar helps increase water absorption, which speeds up how quickly you rehydrate.

Sugar is a carbohydrate and sports drinks with carbohydrates also help replenish glycogen stores—the storage form of glucose that runs out during prolonged endurance exercise (e.g. known as "hitting the wall"). But, research, like a 2021 study in Nutrients, shows excessive amounts of sugar are not needed by your body. Too much sugar can make it hard to consume the drink and can slow the absorption of water.

Sodium and Other Minerals

Sodium, potassium and chloride are the most commonly added electrolytes. All of these are lost through sweat. Sodium also makes you thirsty so having sodium in an electrolyte drink can help increase the amount you drink, thereby helping you take in more water to rehydrate.

Protein

While not traditionally added to electrolyte drinks, protein is sometimes added to sports drinks to aid in rebuilding muscles. But it may do more than that. According to the same 2021 study in Nutrients, as well as a 2023 study in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, protein added to electrolyte drinks helps increase fluid retention at least as well as glucose added to electrolytes did.

What Are the Best Electrolyte Drinks?

Tap Water

Although tap water has some added minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium, it doesn't have sugar and may not have enough sodium to replenish stores.

Mineral Water

Mineral water comes from underground reservoirs and springs and is bottled at the source. It naturally contains more electrolytes than tap water but no sugar. It's not your best option for electrolytes.

Coconut Water

Coconut water is high in potassium and also delivers about 11% of the daily value (DV) for sodium, 4% of the DV for calcium and 14% of the DV for magnesium. And it's also low in sugar—around 6 grams in an 8-oz serving, per the USDA.

While studies are mixed, a 2022 study in the Journal of Physical Education, Health and Sport suggests that coconut water rehydrates as well as traditional sports drinks. These study authors also point out that coconut water has antioxidants, which traditional sports drinks typically lack. The antioxidants might be able to help with minimizing stress at the cellular level from intense exercise.

Maple Water

Maple water is a newer water on the market that claims to be helpful with hydration due to its naturally occurring electrolytes. While the amount of sugar is comparable to coconut water, it doesn't have any sodium and has just 1% of the DV for potassium and 4% of the DV for calcium. While more research is needed, maple water might not rehydrate any better than plain water, per a 2019 study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. But like coconut water, maple water also contains antioxidants and may offer some benefits there compared to plain water.

Make Your Own

Create your own balanced electrolyte drink to customize the beverage to your taste. You can use natural ingredients like tap water, mineral water or coconut water for the base. Add lemon or lime juice, ginger, salt and agave syrup. Making these drinks with an electrolyte powder is another easy and quick way to stay hydrated.

Nooma

Nooma was created by two athletes who were fed up with all the sugar and artificial ingredients in traditional sports drinks. Nooma is 28% coconut water—which provides potassium, calcium and magnesium—filtered water, Himalayan pink salt—which provides sodium—organic flavors and organic stevia.

Nuun

Nuun makes electrolyte tablets that can be added to water and provides numerous minerals including sodium, potassium, chloride and calcium. They have tablets targeted for sports, immunity, endurance and more. The sport tablets, for example, also contain caffeine. Nuun tablets are sweetened with stevia leaf extract.

Pedialyte

Pedialyte has a variety of products that are effective for kids and adults alike. Pedialyte is targeted more for dehydration and sickness such as food poisoning, stomach flu and morning sickness, but it's also an option for rehydrating post-exercise. Compared to popular sports drinks, the "classic" Pedialyte has more sodium (16% DV), potassium (6% DV) and chloride (20% DV), with about a fourth of the amount of sugar. It also has zinc. It does have artificial sweeteners though, which is what keeps the overall sugar content down.

Gatorade

Heralded as the original sports drink, Gatorade was created at the University of Florida to help athletes combat dehydration in the hot Florida weather. While it has sodium and potassium, which are great for replenishing electrolytes after a strenuous workout, one 20-oz serving has 36 grams of sugar and artificial food dyes. Gatorade also makes products with less sugar, like G2, and products with no sugar, like G Zero.

The Bottom Line

On a daily basis, water and a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables are sufficient to keep your electrolyte levels balanced. However, if you become dehydrated from a strenuous workout, extreme heat, vomiting or diarrhea, an electrolyte drink will help you rehydrate and replenish electrolytes. Find a drink with sodium and potassium, as well as magnesium, calcium and chloride if you can. It's ideal if it has a small amount of sugar to help absorption, but not too much, as it will slow digestion.