SIP of the day 💦: Why is sodium the only electrolyte we recommend?
Sent March 22, 2023. Prices and features may have changed since.
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Sip of the day
with:
Dr. Alex Harrison | CEO
SPORT PHYSIOLOGIST & FUELING NERD
Read About Our Team
Q.
"Why is sodium the only electrolyte recommended?"
A.
Sodium is excreted in the highest quantity through sweat; the other electrolytes are not, and we haven't found convincing scientific evidence that these are necessary in a drink. Potassium almost certainly is not performance enhancing, and it can cause more problems than it solves.
Magnesium is unnecessary, and is also more likely to cause problems than do good.
Neither potassium nor magnesium are well-evidenced to reduce cramping or enhance muscle contraction during exercise.
Finally, we have calcium, which in some very very rare cases, usually larger bodied folks, competing over very long durations (10 hours or more), who have very high natural sweat rates, are competing in a hot location and are not heat acclimatized, sometimes a very small amount of calcium is necessary to stave off hypocalcemia. But this is intensely rare and should not be a concern unless you've ended up in a med tent at an event, and been specifically diagnosed as hypocalcemic. Otherwise, calcium is unnecessary to add to your fuel & hydration recipes.