How many electrolytes should you be taking, and can you have too many?

Electrolyte powders, soluble Trendy tablets and ready-to-drink water have moved out of the pockets of athletes and into one of the most sought-after wellness categories.

It is a crowded market, estimated to be worth $39 billion globally in 2025, and is expected to double over the next decade. Most of the growth has been driven by wellness trends and hype cycles faced by influencers, such as Prime Hydration, created by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI, which the company claimed to have surpassed $1 billion in sales in one year. In other corners of the internet, dozens of podcast-adjacent celebrities and brands promise ways to improve your way to hydration.

These products are marketed as daily essentials for everyone — from office workers to gym-goers — promising to combat brain fog, improve skin, banish fatigue, and aid recovery. Here’s everything you need to know about electrolyte mania, and when these products are actually worth buying.

What are electrolytes?

Electrolytes are essential minerals, including sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and chloride, that carry an electrical charge once dissolved in a liquid. This charge is what allows the body to do many of its basic tasks, such as helping muscles and nerves work properly. It works to ensure fluids remain balanced inside and outside each cell, as a serious imbalance can cause headaches, muscle spasms, dizziness, fatigue and weakness. In more serious cases, severe electrolyte imbalances can interfere with heart function and require medical treatment.

Who needs electrolytes?

For most healthy adults, the body was regulating electrolyte levels well long before trendy flavored hydration sticks appeared on supermarket shelves. In fact, if you eat a reasonably balanced diet and drink water when you’re thirsty, there’s a good chance you’re already getting everything you need.

The cyst acquires its place in approximately three cases. Studies by the American College of Sports Medicine indicate that water alone is sufficient for exercise of less than an hour, but electrolytes become increasingly beneficial during longer sessions of long, sweaty exercise, especially in high temperatures or humidity. They are also useful for diseases that involve a lot of fluid loss, which is why ORS are a recognized medical treatment and not a health trend. You should also consider them during long periods of fasting, when the food that normally supplies you with these minerals is absent.

Are there natural electrolytes?

There are many sources of electrolytes in everyday foods. If you eat a reasonably varied diet (fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, nuts and seeds), your electrolyte stores will be constantly increased without the need for specialized drinks or powders.

Research by the Beverage Hydration Index shows that drinks containing milk can maintain hydration longer than plain water. The combination of protein, natural electrolytes, and small amounts of fat slows the rate at which fluid leaves the stomach, helping the body retain hydration longer. Coconut water can also replenish potassium.

The Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Resource notes, “Any beverage that contains electrolyte minerals may be classified as an electrolyte drink. Some are very expensive but contain only a small amount of these nutrients, while others may contain a significant amount of just one nutrient such as potassium or sodium.”

Could you have too many electrolytes?

For healthy adults, an electrolyte drink is unlikely to cause harm. However, daily consumption can sometimes be counterproductive.

Many electrolyte products contain large amounts of sodium, even though most of the population already consumes much more than the recommended amount of salt. The World Health Organization estimates that the global average daily sodium intake is more than twice the recommended limit, and approximately 1.89 million deaths annually can be linked to excessive sodium intake. Adding more sodium regularly may not be ideal for anyone with high blood pressure or cardiovascular risks. Some formulas also contain significant amounts of added sugar, making them nutritionally closer to soft drinks than to health products.

Anyone recovering from illness or sweating through an August shift outdoors has a fair case for taking supplements. For everyone else, the best way to moisturize remains unnoticed. The electrolytes themselves are non-negotiable. Electrolyte products are mostly just a lifestyle purchase.

This story originally appeared on Wired Middle East.