Here you will find the list of electrolytes drinks for adults introduced by Dr. Eric Berg DC.
Electrolytes drinks for adults | Functions |
---|---|
Sodium | • Hydrates • Is involved in oxygen transport • Works with potassium to generate electrical potential (the sodium-potassium pump) • Decreased sodium can lead to weakness, tiredness, and low endurance |
Potassium | • Supports the nerve and muscle interaction • Works with sodium to generate electrical potential (the sodium-potassium pump) • Decreased potassium can lead to weakness and tiredness |
Magnesium | • Controls the absorption of sodium and potassium • Is associated with oxygen • Supports the relaxation of the muscle • May help prevent muscle cramps • May be necessary for workouts (especially long or intense workouts) • Decreased magnesium may lead to muscle cramps and low endurance |
Calcium | • Supports muscle contraction • Supports neuromuscular excitability • Decreased calcium can lead to tetany, muscle cramps, and skeletal muscle weakness |
Chloride | • Supports hydration |
Now we’re going to talk about five electrolytes drinks for adults.
There are others like phosphorus and bicarbonates that tend to buffer the ph if things are too acidic or too alkaline.
But I’m going to focus on these five right here.
Let’s start with sodium.

Sodium
Sodium is a mineral that helps hydrate things because its water is attracted to it.
Of course, if you have too much sodium, you’re going to retain fluid.
But if you don’t have enough sodium you’re not going to hydrate the cells as well also sodium is involved in oxygen transport.
So if you’re getting swelling, in the red blood cells, for example, you’re not going to be able to carry oxygen to the body.
And you’re going to actually kind of run out of air.
So you could have all sorts of problems with endurance.
For example, if you’re low in sodium let’s say you do a huge workout and you’re sweating and you lose your sodium.
You’re going to be very very tired and you’re not going to be able to walk up the stairs because you’re going to run out of oxygen.
Sodium also works with chloride as in salt for various things but sodium also works with other minerals like potassium.
Potassium
There’s a pump called the sodium-potassium pump and the purpose of that pump is to generate electrical potential.
You can look at that as a battery.
It’s basically these two are necessary for making sure that there’s enough electrical charge inside that cell because your cells are mini batteries.
They have voltage and the reason why your body is designed like that is to power the nerve and muscle interaction.
The contraction of the muscle and the firing of the nerves.
If you don’t have enough sodium or potassium, that pump can’t work and you’re not going to be able to activate the nerve impulses or the muscles to work.
So, there are a lot of problems that can happen with potassium deficiency and sodium deficiency.
You’re going to feel tired and weak on both of these.
Magnesium
Magnesium controls the absorption of sodium and potassium so this is a very important mineral as well the most of the population is deficient in magnesium.
Magnesium is at the core of chlorophyll which is in all leafy greens.
An average person consumes probably a cup and a half of vegetables per day and they’re usually deficient in magnesium.
Magnesium also is associated with oxygen like sodium but it’s mainly about the relaxation of the muscle whereas calcium is about muscle contraction.
These work together to contract and relax the muscle.
So magnesium also prevents cramping so when you’re deficient in magnesium, you get muscle cramps.
But if you’re deficient in calcium you can also get muscle cramps.
Magnesium is really necessary for your workouts, especially if you do long workouts or intense workouts.
Let’s say you’re doing a bench press where you’re doing some type of intense pushing motion or something that you have to have some sustained contraction, then you need a lot of magnesium.
So if you find that you can’t work out very long or very intensely, you may need magnesium or you may need calcium.
Calcium
Electrolytes drinks for adults.
When people are deficient in calcium they lose their grip strength they just cannot lift as much weight.
But calcium is also about neuromuscular excitability so it’s the nerve stimulation of the muscle just like potassium.
If there is a calcium deficiency, what can happen is you can get too much of this and get tetany where you have this little twitching going on either in the left eye, your arm, or throughout the body.
This can also happen in the heart, too.
Heart palpitations really are a problem with electrolytes.
When you’re low on calcium, you get a muscle cramp, and you’ll also have skeletal muscle weakness.
Then chloride works with sodium.
It has everything to do with hydration now there are a lot of other functions of these minerals that relate to other things that aren’t associated with the electrolytes.
Just wanted to focus on these electrolytes drinks for adults.