– why does water need electrolytes added to hydrate better?

Question

I apologise for my ignorance in advance. Why is it beneficial to add electrolytes to water for enhanced hydration and how do they contribute to hydration levels more than plain water?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Because without electrolytes, you are primarily relying on passive transport of water across the cell membrane. When electrolytes (and glucose) are present, transport proteins will actively transport these nutrients into the cell, which creates an osmotic gradient, which in turn increases the rate of absorption via osmosis.