Eli5: Why is it okay to replace electrolytes (including sodium) after exercise, but high sodium consumption is bad for long term health?

Question

I can’t figure how it’s beneficial to consume what seems like a high sodium drink after a workout but putting too much salt on my steak will kill me.

In: 0

Answer 1

If you work out really hard, you will sweat a lot, and sweat contains salt. Our bodies need at least some salt to function, though there’s a common saying that “the dose makes the poison,” meaning that everything, no matter what it is, will be bad for you if you get too much of it.

So the idea is to stay at a relatively constant level of salt inside your body. This means if you lose a lot of salt from sweating, you should replace that lost salt by ingesting some more. However, sports drinks are made by companies whose goal is to make money, so they will tell you their product is good to consume even if you don’t actually need it. Most people don’t exercise hard enough to need to go out of their way to replace lost salt from sweat.