Chances are, the only time you really hear about electrolytes is when you see commercials about sports drinks like Gatorade or about drinks to prevent dehydration in children such as Pedialyte. Electrolytes are not often discussed outside of topics that involve hydration and the body’s ability to maintain a balance of water that is essential to life, but without proper electrolyte balance, life would become quite difficult as so many bodily processes depend on electrolytes.
Part of the goal with this extended definition of electrolytes is to communicate, in plain English, this complex chemical reaction on a physiological level in terms of importance. While there are plenty more in-depth resources that cover the actual chemistry on an ionic and process level, what is most important for the average person to know about electrolytes is why they are so important. Quite simply, it’s because without proper balance of electrolytes, which are basically salts that carry an electrical charge, your body will be unable to function at a manageable level. If you do not have enough electrolytes or have an electrolyte imbalance, your cells will not be able to carry electrical impulses and thus will not be able to communicate with other cells.
Electrolytes are also involved in the regulation of water in the body and how it is moved along and processed by organs, most notably the kidneys. If someone had an electrolyte imbalance or had a lack of electrolytes in the system, dehydration could occur which can result in seizures and even death in extreme cases. The body is delicate and the proper balances to maintain healthy chemical reactions such as those involved with electrolytes is essential to good health.
These are all reasons why electrolytes are touted as key ingredients in sports drinks and drinks like Pedialyte, which are meant to restore the fluids that have been lost during an illness that involved diarrhea or vomiting. Dehydration is a serious problem that can happen quickly with children, thus it is important to understand why electrolytes are important, if only on a basic level. Grasping their key importance to many processes in the body should communicate that dehydration and electrolyte losses are serious issues.
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