John Myers
If the electrolyte balance is disturbed due to heavy sweating or diarrhea, this can have serious consequences. We explain why minerals are important, how much you need and how to balance them out.
Salts, minerals & Co.: Electrolytes
Electrolytes conduct electricity as ions – charged particles dissolved in water. In the human body, the minerals, salts, and trace elements dissolved in the blood are essential for the function of every single cell. Positively charged cations such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium as well as negatively charged anions such as chloride, fluoride, and phosphate must be present in the organism in a certain concentration. If there is a disturbance in the electrolyte balance, for example, due to diseases in the gastrointestinal tract or because we do not take in enough liquid, different symptoms can occur depending on the deficiency. An undersupply of sodium, for example, can lead to headaches, dizziness, cramps, or even coma. Since we usually consume enough sodium foods, this is rather rare and can occur especially when there is an increased need due to sport or high fluid loss. If the level of potassium is too low, there is a risk of cardiac arrhythmia and muscle weakness. Conversely, too much of the various electrolytes can also cause problems.
Compensate for losses in sports
Healthy people don’t have to worry about what electrolytes are and what they do. If you eat a reasonably balanced diet, you usually don’t have any problems. The mobile ions only become important when something gets out of balance. A vitamin D deficiency can result in low calcium levels. Exercising for hours without drinking fluids in the form of isotonic drinks leads to a loss of minerals through perspiration, which can be dangerous. Good sports drinks therefore often contain sodium and possibly also magnesium and potassium to compensate for the deficits.
How much salt per day is healthy?
The human body needs a certain amount of salt to function. However, a certain upper limit per day should not be exceeded for salt intake. On average, we consume around 6.5 to 9 g of salt per day, but the recommended daily amount is a maximum of 6 g – this corresponds to about the amount of a level teaspoon.
Long-term excessive salt consumption can lead to cardiovascular disorders and high blood pressure, which is why the DASH diet, which lowers blood pressure, relies on a low salt intake. The kidneys can also be affected because they are designed to manage salt carefully instead of excreting excess amounts. The “hidden” salt in industrially processed food and ready-made products is usually more problematic than seasoning home-cooked dishes with a salt shaker, since too large amounts of the seasoning are often added here. The salt content of foods such as bread, cheese and other dairy products should not be underestimated either.
A healthy amount of salt in the human body ensures that the pressure in the blood and tissues is maintained and that water and nutrients are distributed properly. It is also involved in the transmission of signals from one nerve cell to the next. The sodium contained in table salt is also required by the transport cells in the intestine, liver and kidneys to bind and transport nutrients.
In order to reduce your daily salt intake, you should use ready-made meals as little as possible and use fresh herbs and spices when you taste food.
Remember that salts are also lost through sweating. For example, if you do intensive sport at high temperatures and lose a lot of fluids in the process, you should make sure not only to drink enough but also to replenish the lost salt.
Too much of a good thing is not healthy either
If you suspect that your electrolyte balance is permanently disturbed, a blood analysis will provide information. Depending on whether and which substances are missing, the cause is investigated and treatment initiated. You can remedy short-term deficiencies due to acute diarrhea yourself with electrolyte powders from the pharmacy or drugstore. Solutions prepared with it should be drunk according to the dosage recommendations because the principle “a lot helps a lot” does not apply to electrolytes. You can also ingest too much of the substances, which in turn can have disease implications.
