In extreme heat, do you need more electrolytes?

Experts weigh in on when you need to replenish these essential minerals , and how best to do so. When it’s hot outside, your body keeps cool by sweating. But you don’t just lose water in the process: you also lose electrolytes like sodium, calcium and potassium that are crucial to keep your body functioning well.

Sports drinks , hydration powders and tablets promise to help you replenish your electrolytes. But when do you actually need them, and are they the best source? “People always say, ‘Just drink Powerade’,” said Dr Elan Goldwasser, a sports medicine physician at NewYork-Presbyterian. “But the truth is, it’s so much more than that.



” Why do I need electrolytes? The body is like a large and complex electrical circuit, Goldwasser said. Electrolytes – which also include magnesium, chloride, phosphorus and bicarbonate – carry an electrical charge that enables our nerves, muscles and cells to communicate with each other and to function properly, he said..