Practical Tips for Electrolyte Selection

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Hi, I'm Catherine Ryan, and welcome back to Dr. Nicola's Second Opinion, the place where aging myths get busted and the latest research gets a glow-up. Coming up, Dr. Nick straight up from the lab to give you a heads up on hard science. We've got your questions lined up, and as always, she'll finish up with a quick fix to help you stay younger from the inside out. This week we're talking electrolytes, those pesky little critters that claim to help your body recover more quickly. Dr. Nicola's second opinion. So welcome to this week's episode. And yes, we are talking about electrolytes because all of a sudden it seems like they are everywhere. They're in powders, tablets, sashes, drinks, social media is definitely making it sound like we're all chronically deficient in them, and one scoop of electrolytes is gonna you know answer all our problems. But the question is: do we actually need them? So that is what we're gonna dive into in this episode. So let's move straight on to the science bit. So, first of all, what actually are electrolytes? Well, electrolytes are basically minerals that carry an electric charge when they are dissolved in water. So the main ones that you'll hear about are sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride. And that electrical charge that I spoke about is important because your body basically runs on electricity. So every time your heart beats, every time your muscles contract, every time even a nerve sends a signal, that's actually electrical activity in your body. And it's these electrolytes that make them possible. So for example, sodium and potassium work together in your body to create an elect rical gradient that allows your nerves to fire and your muscles to contract. Whereas calcium actually helps trigger your heart to contract and pump the blood around your body. Magnesium, on the other hand, will help your muscles relax after they've contracted and it also supports hundreds of reactions in the body. So electrolytes are absolutely essential, and because they're so essential to your life, your body regul ates them very very tightly through a process that is known as homeostasis. That is homeostasis. Science word of the week. So homeostasis is your body's ability to keep internal conditions stable. So even when the outside world changes, your body is really fighting to keep the inside world constant. And that means it doesn't matter what is going on around us, the body is constantly monitoring these internal conditions to make sure important things like your electrolytes are kept within very tight parameters. And when it comes to electrolytes, it's your kidneys that do this job. So your kidneys will constantly check and adjust the electrolyte levels in your blood by filtering out any excess or conserving them if you need some more. So in a healthy person, if you are eating a balanced diet and you're drinking when you're thirsty, then your electrolytes will stay within a very narrow range. They're very tightly controlled. And that means that most people do not need to supplement electrolytes daily. In fact, if you take large amounts of electrolytes when you don't need them, it can be counterproductive. So, for example, if you take in too much sodium, it can actually raise your blood pressure. If you take in too much potassium, this can also be dangerous, particularly if your kidney function isn't optimal. And also, anybody that 's ever took too much magnesium will know that this can cause digestive upsets. So the system works best when it's balanced. So I'd say that on a day-to-day basis, under normal circum stances, most people do not need extra electrolytes. But there are specific situations where you might. For example, if you were doing prolonged, intense exercise, especially in the heat, if you're sweating heavily, you know, the type where you literally can feel salt on your skin after. Then in this case, you should be looking to replace both the lost fluids and also the lost electrolytes. Another case where you might need them is if you've been sick, if you've been vomiting, or if you've got diarrhea, both of these things can impact your fluid and electrolyte salt levels. So in that case , you would want to use some sort of electrolytes to rehydrate. But for the average person, on the average day, for the average gym session, water and a balanced diet are usually enough because your body is very good at doing its job maintaining them. Dr. Nicola's second opinion. When she was on the sofa, Eastendas legend Natalie Cassidy told us she was taking electrolytes along with a host of other things to try and stay healt hy. So you're taking things I do take a few bits. So there's electrolytes, I take those sometimes, and her collagen and my coffee, the fatty coffee, and a creamer. Yeah. Two things I did see on your supplement list that were like a big gold star for me were turmeric. Yes. And ginger. Yeah always. And I you know I always say to people that like things like supplements they're never gonna outdo a bad lifestyle but they are like the sort of cherry on the top and uh turmeric and ginger are both very well known and have some really great research behind them as antioxidants and also anti inflammatories. They seem to like turn down inflammation in the body. So I think you know those could be contributing is probably like a little bit of everything. Yeah. But they are really great for suppressing any inflammation. To cook with them. Yeah, ginger I do a lot. Yes. I don't have a cookbook. Oh well I need to do one, don't I'm just good. I would like to do one. I feel like do the hundred and first for you soon. I mean my main takeaway is that you're this amazing cook. You grow fresh veg, whatever you're doing, like the whole holistic ness of your lifestyle is getting you the look. No! I promise you, it's not like that. So yes, as you've probably heard me say many times, I think home cooking is definitely the best way to help you age well because all of these other things that we are talking about, like supplements, like electrolytes, are like the icing on the cake. These are the things that you should be using only if you've got everything else in your diet nailed first. Dr. Nicola's second opinion. Okay, so now let's move on to some questions. And the first one is from Catherine. Hannah has the first question. She's 35. She says I've started taking electrolytes after workouts, but I'm not sure how often I should be using them. Can you explain how electrolytes support muscles and whether there's such a thing as too much ? Okay, so that's a great question. Now, first of all, if your workouts are under an hour and you're not sweating excessively, I would say that plain water and just proper nutrition are typically sufficient. But if you're doing these long sessions, especially in the heat, then electrolytes definitely can help. Now, when it comes to muscles, electrolytes help support the muscles contraction, they help support the nerve signal and also the recovery. So yes, they can help with muscle health as we age. Magnesium in particular supports muscle relaxation and it can help to reduce cramping, while sodium and potassium can also help to maintain fluid balance around your muscle cells. But more's not always better, especially sodium. And if you chronically overconsume electrolyte drinks when you don't need them, it can disrupt flu id balance in the body. So definitely think of electrolytes as tools in the right situation, but not daily essentials. And the next question is from Joanna, who's 49, and she says, I sweat a lot during exercise, especially in summer, and I'm worried that I'm not replenishing properly and it might be affecting my energy and recovery. What is the safest and most effective way for women my age to use electrolytes . Okay, Joanne. So as we get older, fluid and electrolyte regulation can definitely shift slightly, so hydration does become a bit more important. So if you're sweating a lot during exercise, especially in summer, it is a good idea to be replacing both fluids and electrolytes. Now, the safest approach to doing this is to make sure that first of all, you want to be starting off h ydrated before exercise and then use electrolytes during and after the exercise session. So to start with, look for moderate sodium levels, so not extreme doses , around 300 to 700 milligrams per hour during prolonged exercise is typically adequate depending on the rate that you sweat in. And also just remember that food contains electrolytes too. So if you're just having a balanced meal afterwards with protein and vegetables and a little bit of salt, that can often do the job beautifully. This episode of What's My Age Again is sponsored by MedExpress, the UK online pharmacy. If you've been trying to manage your weight but feel like nothing's really working, MedExpress connects you with UK registered clinicians who assess your situation and create a treatment plan to support your weight management goals. With over 1.5 million customers , MedExpress is one of the country's leading online pharmacies, and they offer access to licensed evidence-based treatment under medical supervision. And the whole process happens from your laptop or phone. There's no need for face-to-face