Can Taking Electrolytes Be Dangerous?

Why are electrolytes important?

We all want to grab a good drink when it gets hot, like one with electrolytes. But could these drinks or powders have some side effects, or maybe be not right for everyone? Before we go on, let’s look at why the body needs electrolytes. Electrolytes are a group of minerals. Some examples are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, phosphate, and bicarbonate. They carry an electric charge in the body and help with basic things our bodies do. One big job they have is to help nerves and muscles work. For instance, sodium and potassium help to make nerve messages move across our cells so our muscles, including the heart, can work properly. If the balance gets messed up, you could feel things like muscle cramps, feel weak, or your heartbeat could feel off.

You also need electrolytes to keep fluid moving the right way in and out of cells. Sodium helps the body hold onto water, while potassium makes sure water goes to the right places. That helps prevent you from getting dried out or dehydrated. When you sweat, feel sick, throw up, or get diarrhea, your body loses a lot of these minerals. That’s why it is important to get more of them from food, drinks, or other things when this happens.

Electrolytes work to keep your pH levels in the right range. Things like bicarbonate and phosphate keep your blood pH steady, between about 7.35 and 7.45.

Can electrolytes have a downside?

But there can be a downside.
Electrolytes are important for the body. Taking too many, especially in supplements or drinks with lots of them, can cause side effects. It may also lead to serious health problems.

Can electrolytes cause imbalances?

When you have too many electrolytes in your body, it can cause several problems. The body needs the right amount of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium to work well. If you take too much, things can go wrong. Too much sodium can cause high blood pressure, confusion, swelling, and sometimes even seizures. A high amount of potassium can be very dangerous for the heart, and may cause it to beat in the wrong way or even stop. Having a lot of calcium may make you feel constipated, cause kidney stones, give you pain in your stomach, or hurt your kidneys over time. A high level of magnesium can make you feel like you want to vomit, lower your blood pressure, make your muscles feel weak, and can even be life-threatening if it makes it hard to breathe or hurts the heart.

Is it possible to oversupplement electrolytes?

Second, you can end up taking too many supplements. Electrolyte supplements, like powders, tablets, and sports drinks, are easy to find and are often pushed for daily use. But adding them when you do not need to can do more harm than good. People who eat a balanced diet and are not losing a lot of fluids from sweat, being sick, or diarrhea often do not need extra help. The body usually takes care of electrolytes fine on its own. Taking these extra supplements when you do not really need them can put stress on your kidneys. The kidneys work to filter out extra minerals in the blood. Over time, this extra work could put strain on the kidneys or mess with the way your body handles fluids and minerals. Also, taking lots of one kind of electrolyte without matching it with others can throw off the balance. This can cause tiredness, muscle twitches, problems with your heartbeat, or confusion.

Do electrolyte drinks contain harmful additives?

Third, these supplements or drinks can have things like added sugar and other extras you may not need. A lot of well-known sports drinks that say they are good for helping replace electrolytes also have a lot of sugar, fake flavors, and coloring. These drinks may help when you sweat a lot during long or hard workouts, but most people drink them even when they do not work out hard. A normal 20-ounce bottle of a popular sports drink can have up to 34 grams of sugar. This is almost all of the sugar you should have in one day. Taking in too much sugar can cause you to gain weight, hurt how your body handles insulin, bring on diabetes, and damage your teeth. There is new worry about the sodium in these drinks too because some have more than 200 mg in one serving. Getting too much sodium in a day is not good for people who have high blood pressure or problems with their heart.

Should people with health conditions be cautious with electrolytes?

Fourth, people who have other health problems need to be very careful when they use electrolyte supplements. For example, if you have long-term kidney disease, it can be hard for your body to get rid of too many minerals like potassium and magnesium. This can cause these minerals to build up in your blood, which may lead to feeling sick, weak muscles, or changes in your heartbeat. People who deal with high blood pressure or heart problems can also be at risk with electrolyte products that have sodium. This is because they can hold onto more fluid, making heart issues worse. Also, those with hormone problems, like hyperparathyroidism or Addison’s disease, can have trouble with how their bodies handle calcium and sodium, so they should not use electrolyte supplements without a doctor’s help.

Can electrolytes interact with medications?

In the end, it may seem hard to believe, but even something as common as electrolytes can get in the way of some medicines. Some drugs, such as water pills, ACE inhibitors, and ARBs, can change the level of potassium, sodium, or magnesium in your body. For example, potassium-sparing water pills may make your potassium levels go up. If you also use potassium supplements or drink things high in potassium, this can make your potassium too high, which is not safe. ACE inhibitors, given to help with blood pressure and heart problems, can make it harder for your kidneys to get rid of potassium. This may lead to dangerous potassium in the body. Calcium supplements can also get in the way of certain antibiotics or thyroid drugs, and may make them work less well.

What is a safer alternative to electrolytes?

All that being said, we do have a choice for people who want to stay away from the possible risks that come with taking an electrolyte supplement. That choice is our Upgraded Trace Minerals. This is a low sodium choice, and it has all the minerals and trace minerals people need to get back when these go low in the body. You can add it to water, juice, or any other drink. This is what makes it easy to use in many ways, and it gets rid of all the problems that regular electrolytes often bring.

If you want to stay safe and keep your body hydrated, check out our Upgraded Trace Minerals here!