

Electrolyte deficiency in particular leads to symptoms like fatigue, headaches, and muscle cramps. If one side of this equation becomes skewed (from heavy sweating, diarrhea, etc), an electrolyte imbalance can result. We absorb electrolytes through food and drink, and excrete them through sweat, urine, and feces.

While glucose may boost performance in some situations-like when I roll with 25-year olds-most situations don’t call for it. But these folks are confused about the science.

Without glucose, they say, you’ll be short on both electrolytes and energy. Glucose does help transport sodium, chloride, and water across the intestinal barrier.īecause of this, some claim you need glucose for proper hydration. You might have heard that adding sugar to electrolytes boosts hydration – this isn’t false. The truth is, I don’t want a hit of sugar every time I supplement sodium, potassium, or magnesium. As a mostly protein and fat-fueled guy, I’m a big believer in only using glucose when I need it.
