– If electrolytes are salt, and salt makes you dehydrated, how do electrolytes help you retain water?
In: 18
Consuming salts without fluids will result in the salt taking fluids away from your body, to dissolve itself as it is a hygroscopic substance = water taking away from cellular activity. As we excrete salts to regulate our body salt concentration (isotonic), the salts will take this water away from your body, therefore net loss of water from body.
If you consume salts with fluids, “hydrated” salts then they do not need to take water away from your body to dissolve it, and rather the salt carries the consumed fluids with it to where it is needed. Considering that salts help absorb water more efficiently we end up with the idea that salts help rehydrate the body. These solutions are called isotonic solutions – you can read into these yourself.
Isotonic solutions will help you understand that the mixture of salt/fluid is important to optimize hydration.
Latest Answers