Electrolyte drinks vs water: when you need hydration boosters in heat

Surviving summer heat is a question of hydration, hydration, hydration.

Water will generally do – but some “hydration multipliers” or electrolyte supplements gain popularity to increase hydration in a single drink.

These mixtures of drinks offer a mixture of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and magnesium to improve water absorption.

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But are these boosters need to stay completely hydrated on hot days?

Brunilda Nazario, MD, editor -in -chief of medical affairs at WebMD, told Fox News Digital that staying hydrated is “essential” for health.

Hydration multipliers provide the body with electrolytes to help improve water absorption. (istock)

“Many people consider hydration as drinking water,” she said.

“However, it is more than drinking water. Hydration also consists in maintaining the balance of electrolytes such as salt, potassium and magnesium.”

Nazario said that hydration multipliers, or sports drinks, are “right in certain circumstances”.

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“Water can be the best replacement for most people who are active-but for some, hydration products are the best way to stay hydrated,” she said.

“Spots or rings on your clothes while perspiration can mean that your perspiration contains a lot of salt, an essential and critical electrolyte that must be reconstructed.”

Hydration multipliers are often in the form of a powder to be mixed in water. (istock)

For those who exercise “intensely” or sweat “abundantly, Nazario recommends trying a hydration multiplier or a sports drink as a” better option “to prevent dehydration.

“It is because rehydration occurs more quickly with products that have sodium,” she said.

“Be aware that these drinks can contain high quantities of salt.”

“Although hydration products can be good during hot summer days, if you look at your salt consumption, be aware that these drinks may contain high quantities of salt.”

Dr. Glenn Hirsch, Cardiologist of National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, said in a separate interview with Fox News Digital that drinking adequate quantities of ordinary water was mostly “sufficient”.

“When a person transpires a lot or if he is in a dry climate … he can lose a lot of liquids and electrolytes in hot conditions without realizing it.” (istock)

But hydration-monultlicity supplements can be useful during the exercise in hot conditions, especially if the activity lasts more than an hour.

“When a person transpires a lot or if he is in a dry climate … he can lose a lot of liquids and electrolytes in hot conditions without realizing it,” said the doctor. “The replacement of liquid and electrolytes is useful.”

While electrolyte powders add more salt and potassium for hydration, too much salt and potassium can cause complications in some people with conditions such as high blood pressure or kidney disease.

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Some supplements also use synthetic sweeteners or sugar, said Hirsch, which is important for people with diabetes.

“In general, using it in moderation can work for most people when someone does a lot of perspiration or work in a hot environment rather than for daily hydration,” he said. “In this case, ordinary water is preferred.”

Those who intend to be outside for long periods in hot weather should prepare while remaining hydrated before, during and after, experts. (istock)

Nazario encouraged people to monitor signs of dehydration and not wait until you thirst to drink water, which is a sign that you are “already dehydrated”.

“Drink before, during and after exercise or outdoor activities on a hot day,” she said. “For outdoor activities, drink from seven to 10 ounces every 10 to 20 minutes.”

Hirsch recommended drinking water slowly before going out in hot climates, even up to four hours before.

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“Drinking about half a liter at one liter of water before the activity can be useful,” he said. “It is important to have at least 500 ml at one liter of water each hour during activity in hot weather.”

“Having sports drinks or electrolyte powder to add to water can be useful to avoid water intoxication of too much water without electrolytic replenishment, which can occur after an hour of exercise in hot conditions and with large amounts of water consumption alone.”

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Hirsch added that having salty snacks can also be a useful substitute with ordinary water during prolonged activity.