{"id":9242,"date":"2026-05-26T16:12:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T06:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/uncategorized\/electrolytes-essential-or-trend"},"modified":"2026-05-26T16:12:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T06:12:07","slug":"electrolytes-essential-or-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/news\/electrolytes-essential-or-trend","title":{"rendered":"Electrolytes: essential nutrient or expensive trend?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Electrolytes: essential nutrient or expensive trend?<\/h1>\n
\"STARS

STARS Dietitian Brooke McLay<\/p><\/div>\n

Do most people need a daily serve of electrolytes, or is it just an expensive wellness trend?<\/h4>\n

While electrolyte supplementation is gaining popularity on social media, Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) dietitian Brooke McLay says it might not be worth the hype.<\/p>\n

Brooke explains that one thing the hype is right about is that electrolytes are absolutely essential for daily body functions.<\/p>\n

\u201cElectrolytes help to maintain fluid levels, support heart and nerve function and regulate blood pressure. Minerals like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphate are the important electrolytes, but for most people a balanced diet will easily cover your daily needs,\u201d Brooke said.<\/p>\n

While electrolytes are marketed as an everyday necessity, Brooke says supplemental electrolytes are unnecessary for the average person.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re just going about your day or doing light exercise, then drinking water and eating a healthy diet in line with the Australian guidelines is all you need to stay hydrated,\u201d Brooke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor many people, buying electrolytes is simply a waste of money.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Brooke explains that electrolyte supplements can be useful under specific circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re doing high-intensity exercise for 60 to 90 minutes or more, especially in hot or humid conditions like Brisbane summers, your body loses electrolytes through sweat. That\u2019s when these supplements can be beneficial,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimilarly, if you\u2019re unwell with vomiting or diarrhoea and experiencing significant fluid loss, replacing lost electrolytes is important for recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, there are situations where an electrolyte drink may not work as expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re hungover, for instance, it\u2019s unlikely that electrolytes will have a big impact,\u201d Brooke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you drink alcohol, your body prioritises metabolising the ethanol over absorbing electrolytes. If you want to recover, the best thing to do is to hydrate well and give your body time to recover.\u201d<\/p>\n

While generally safe, Brooke warns about some health risks associated with frequent consumption of electrolyte drinks if they\u2019re not needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor people with high blood pressure or chronic kidney disease, electrolyte drinks could pose a risk because they contain concentrated levels of sodium and other minerals,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd honestly, most processed and takeaway foods already contain a lot of salt, so daily supplements can easily lead to overconsumption.\u201d
\nBrooke suggests looking for clear signs of dehydration to know when your body needs hydration.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep an eye on the colour of your urine. If it\u2019s dark yellow, you\u2019re probably dehydrated, so drink some water and maybe have a snack to help with hydration,\u201d Brooke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother telltale sign is thirst. If you\u2019re thirsty, that\u2019s your body\u2019s cue that it needs some more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooke cautions against falling for marketing hype, especially when your diet should provide adequate electrolytes.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnless you\u2019re exercising intensely, sweating heavily, or dealing with significant fluid loss from illness, you really don\u2019t need these products,\u201d Brooke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cElectrolytes are essential, but they\u2019re best sourced from a balanced diet that naturally meets your body\u2019s needs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Electrolyte supplementation is gaining popularity on social media, but do most people need a daily serve of electrolytes, or is it just an expensive wellness trend?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":9243,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,1230],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-metro-north-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9242"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9245,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9242\/revisions\/9245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/redcliffe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}