Flavored electrolyte mixes
Liquid IV, Pedialyte Electrolyte Powder Packets, Propel Powder Packets - do they work or are they BS?
(Propel has less sodium than Liquid IV and LMNT)
There is nothing you can do to hydrate yourself more, other than taking in more water. You don’t just need water, you need salt and other stuff.
“Electrolytes” are basically just salt. When you’re dehydrated, having slightly salty water hydrates you faster.
The average person doing the average day of exertion doesn’t need extra electrolytes in these types of drinks. Some salt, already in their diet, and lots of water do the trick fine according to most doctors.
Case by case basis, it may be just the right thing for you. However, there are several fairly common illnesses, autoimmune diseases in particular, that directly impact your ability to retain liquids and electrolytes so these types of products help boost your ability to be hydrated. People with chronic illnesses such as POTS and EDS require a lot more electrolytes than the average healthy person. So it’s really only needed if you are someone who can’t physically drink a lot of water, or someone who needs electrolytes replaced asap or you’ll die. Mainly people with chronic health conditions. This product isn’t really for regular people, they just market it that way to try and sell more. Unless you’re sick, this isn’t really worth it for regular hydration needs.
It’s effective at rehydration for sure. They’re high in sugar and salt which is good for rehydration… but if you aren’t really in need of that much electrolytes, then it’s just a lot of sugar and salt on your system. There are five hundred grams of sodium in each packet.
It is not something you wanna drink everyday, or replace water with because if you dont sweat or drink enough water, this contains a lot of salt and you will give yourself a kidney stone.
It’s not b.s., it’s just applied science in a slightly convenient way. The effect of glucose is a big one. The addition of salts/magnesium/potassium with glucose for signalling is important only if you already don’t drink / consume enough readily available non-complex sugars to make that occur.
Yes it does work. Yes it is different than Gatorade. But it’s only worth buying if you have major hydration concerns or are maintaining a chronic illness.
It does work like sports drinks and magnesium salt baths. But the chemical formula of the electrolyte molecules in this product is patented because it IS different than what you’d normally get in say like Gatorade.
It’s like how name brand and generic medications have one or two atoms different on their molecules. It doesn’t matter most of the time but for a few people it makes a big difference.
They’ve managed to figure out how to get the electrons in the molecules of their formula to be really bond happy. And because they are so bond seeking they get absorbed really fast. Carrying the water molecule within the larger molecule with them. It’s based on ORS which is for saving super dehydrated starving people.
Like the gluten free craze, sometimes, people being overzealous about health make products made for chronic conditions easier to get by making them more popular.
All IVs are liquid. You will die if you try to take an IV that is solid, gaseous or plasma (matter-state; blood plasma is fine, obv). The product should be called “Drinkable IV", or “Portable IV”.
Just drink water, regularly, consistently. Try 16 oz in the a.m. while your coffee brews. Then when the caffeine in your coffee has its diuretic effect you’ll have that 16 oz of water onboard. Keep a yeti tumbler in the car in the summer and year round, fill 1/2 with ice 1/2 water to start your day. To make up for the rest of the the content of the liquidIV pack: take a daily vitamin, at the cost of a few cents a day.
It’s more along the lines of pedialyte than it is Gatorade. It all depends on what you mean by hydrating “better”, because it absolutely allows for more EFFECTIVE hydration. Anyone who is physically active like myself will absolutely experience a notable difference in endurance, recovery and performance. Hydration is key. And those electrolytes allow your body to more effectively absorb water.
Is Propel healthy?
It’s not unhealthy but the sodium & potassium ratio is screwed as with most of them. It’s 4:1 when it should be 1:3. It’s also missing three of the less important electrolytes. It’s sodium & potassium that you need to continuously replenish (and you almost always get chloride with the sodium) but calcium, phosphate & magnesium are also depleted when you sweat so you want to blow past the RDA on those.
Poor sodium ratios will make you feel more thirsty as your body needs more water to maintain homeostasis. The water retention can make you feel more bloated which obviously isn’t great if you are doing stuff.
Most of the instant drink powders use sodium & potassium as preservatives and are a good alternative for the much more expensive electrolyte drinks. I enjoy the occasional liquid IV when hiking but mainly I just use crystal light.