Best Electrolyte Powders of 2025

Using electrolyte powders in your water bottle can help optimize your performance and prevent salt and mineral imbalances. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi

One of the most important pieces of the nutrition puzzle for runners is hydration, and for many of us, this includes using an electrolyte replacement for long runs and hot weather. The best electrolyte powder has the right balance of salts to keep bodies functioning optimally as they lose fluid to sweat and respiration during exercise.

Anything that causes our body to lose fluids can cause dehydration and potentially alter electrolyte balance, which can affect performance and cause you to feel less-than-great. It can also lead to cramping, vomiting, diarrhea, and even death.

The myriad options on the market today can make choosing the best electrolyte drink for your needs a little overwhelming. We researched over 100 options and combined our prior electrolyte replacement experiences with testing 12 drink mixes over a few hundred hours and miles. Electrolyte powders were evaluated on taste, electrolyte concentration and type, caloric value, mixability, and other factors so that we could help you choose the right option for your needs.

Ultimately, our testing team settled on Gnarly Hydrate as our favorite electrolyte powder. When we also wanted calories, we turned to Tailwind Endurance Fuel, and when we needed the highest concentration of electrolytes, we chose LMNT.

Below are our top picks for the best electrolyte replacements, buying advice, our testing methodology, and frequently asked questions.

For more information on running hydration, check out other iRunFar articles on more detailed hydration topics.

Best Electrolyte Powders

• Best Overall Electrolyte Powder: Gnarly Hydrate
• Best Overall Electrolyte Powder — Runner-Up: Skratch Labs Hydration Sport Drink Mix
• Best High-Calorie Electrolyte Powder: Tailwind Endurance Fuel
• Best High-Calorie Electrolyte Powder — Runner-Up: Gnarly Fuel2O
• Best Low-Calorie/Low-Sugar Electrolyte Powder: DripDrop Zero Sugar
• Best High-Sodium Electrolyte Powder: LMNT

iRunFar’s Alli Miles tests electrolyte powders while running in the Colorado desert. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi

Best Overall Electrolyte Powder: Gnarly Hydrate ($30 for 40 servings)

Pros: 

• Good value
• Mixes easily

Cons:

• Limited flavors
• The Stevia taste is noticeable to some

When it comes to an electrolyte powder that is easy to drink, effective, and affordable, it’s hard to beat Gnarly Hydrate. While the brand makes a variety of drink mixes, this one focuses solely on electrolyte repletion and is much lower in calories and sugars than other options.

The 40-serving bag costs $30, which means it’s about $0.75 per serving. Each serving contains 250 milligrams of sodium, 100 milligrams of potassium, 80 milligrams of magnesium, and 30 calories. While there are certainly cheaper ways to supplement your electrolytes using homemade mixes or electrolyte pills, we found this to be the best value among the drink powders. We appreciated that this relatively low-calorie mix allowed us to consume our electrolytes and calories separately to control the amount of each we were taking in.

This electrolyte powder also contains B vitamins, but the brand has removed them from its newest mix. It comes in five flavors: Orange Pineapple, Raspberry, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Lemonade, and Salted Margarita, which has extra sodium.

Gnarly Hydrate also has an NSF certification, though the Orange Pineapple flavor is the only one Certified for Sport by the NSF. The Hydrate mix contains cane sugar and some stevia leaf extract for sweetening, which some of our testers found very noticeable despite not being the primary sweetener. Still, the flavor is light, and we had no issues drinking it throughout hot runs.

Cost: $15 for 10-stick pack, $30 for a 40-serving bag | Sodium per serving: 250 milligrams | Calories per serving: 30 | Carbohydrates per serving: 7 grams | Flavors: Orange Pineapple, Raspberry, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Lemonade, Salted Margarita

Best Overall Electrolyte Powder — Runner-Up: Skratch Labs Hydration Sport Drink Mix ($55 for 60 servings)

Pros: 

• Multiple flavor options
• Bulk bags are good value

Cons:

• Only one caffeinated option
• Single packets are pricey

Skratch Labs Hydration Sport Drink Mix is popular among athletes of many disciplines, and our testers appreciated having multiple flavors to choose from. The mix uses two types of sugar — glucose and fructose — and each scoop contains 80 calories and 400 milligrams of sodium. It also contains small amounts of calcium, potassium, and magnesium to mirror the electrolytes we lose in sweat.

This mix comes in seven fruit-flavored options, and the Raspberry Limeade contains caffeine. As with any powdered blend, you can tailor your bottle to meet your caloric and sodium needs by increasing the number of scoops of powder used. The stronger and sweeter taste of this mix made anything more than one scoop in a 20-ounce flask a little too much for some of our testers, and some found they got tired of it for runs over a few hours duration. That said, taste is a very personal variable, and you may enjoy the taste at a higher concentration.

You can buy Skratch Labs Hydration Sport Drink Mix in a variety of different volumes and packaging options to suit your individual needs. If you like to mix your drink at home and use it frequently, the most cost-effective option is buying a 3-pound bulk bag with 60 servings, which ends up being under $1.00 per serving.

You can also get a 20-serving bulk bag, individual packets, or a box of 20 individual packets. The Colorado-based company frequently donates hydration mix to support local clubs and races so that you can see it at an aid station near you.

Cost: $1.95 per single packet, $36 for box of 20 single packets, $22 for 20-serving bag, $55 for 60-serving bag | Sodium per serving: 380 milligrams | Calories per serving: 80 | Carbohydrates per serving: 19 grams | Flavors: Lemon Lime, Strawberry Lemonade, Fruit Punch, Orange, Pineapple, Apple Cider, Raspberry Limeade (caffeinated)

Best High-Calorie Electrolyte Powder: Tailwind Endurance Fuel ($40 for 50 servings)

Pros: 

• Electrolytes and fuel in one
• Multiple flavors and multiple caffeinated options

Cons:

• Serving sizes for single-serving sticks and bulk bags are different

Tailwind Endurance Fuel has long been a popular choice among runners who prefer to consume their fuel and electrolytes in liquid form rather than consuming additional food or gels for calories. At 200 calories per individual stick, Tailwind combines glucose and sucrose with natural flavors and electrolytes to provide energy and hydration in a simple, great-tasting package. The mix does not contain dyes or preservatives.

Several flavor options are available, including multiple caffeinated versions, which is excellent for those who like to vary their flavors while maintaining the caffeine boost. For those who find flavored mixes unpalatable, there is also an unflavored mix called Naked, which has a slightly sweet but mild taste.

Our testers’ stomaches could tolerate this mix for long events with no episodes of distress. At full strength, which is 200 calories per bottle, some testers found it to have an almost slippery texture that caused some flavor fatigue after hours of use, but this boils down to personal tastes and preferences. It’s worth noting that this mix has a much higher sodium content than many other high-calorie options. This works well for some people but can cause issues for others.

Single packets are a bit pricey, at $2.50 per stick, but the bulk bags offer better value. One thing to remember is that the bulk bag serving size is only one scoop, so if you plan to mix your bottles with 200 calories, the 30- and 50-serving bulk bags will only give you the equivalent of 15 or 25 individual sticks.

Cost: $2.49 per single packet (contains the equivalent of two scoops of bulk powder), $30 for 12-packet box, $29 for 30-serving bag, $40 for 50-serving bag | Sodium per serving: 630 milligrams per single packet, 310 milligrams per bulk bag scoop | Calories per serving: 200 per single packet, 100 per bulk bag scoop | Carbohydrates per serving: 50 grams per packet, 25 grams per scoop | Flavors: Mandarin, Lemon, Berry, Naked (unflavored), Dauwaltermelon, Raspberry (caffeinated), Tropical (caffeinated), Cola (caffeinated)

Best High-Calorie Electrolyte Powder — Runner-Up: Gnarly Fuel2O ($40 for 25 servings)

Pros: 

• Light taste
• NSF certified
• Excellent fueling option

Cons:

• Higher price point
• Serving sizes for single-serving sticks and bulk bags are different
• Limited flavor offerings

The Gnarly Fuel2O drink mix was an overall crowd-pleaser among our testers. The recommended serving size is one scoop per 12 ounces of water, which provides 100 calories and 250 milligrams of sodium. We found this mix refreshing and easy to drink, even when increasing the number of scoops per bottle. This makes it easy to adjust the drink concentration for shorter efforts or long training days and races. We appreciated that there were both caffeinated and non-caffeinated options that both tasted good.

Calories come from a mix of sucrose and dextrose, giving each scoop 25 grams of easy-to-digest carbohydrates. In addition to sodium, the mix contains small amounts of calcium, chloride, magnesium, and potassium. A unique ingredient in this mix is HMB — an amino acid metabolite that the brand claims helps reduce muscle protein breakdown and improve recovery when combined with vitamin D.

Bulk bags of the mix are Certified for Sport by the NSF, which means the ingredients are tested for contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals as well as substances banned by national and international doping oversight organizations. This helps eliminate the fear of accidentally ingesting a banned substance, which is important for all of us, especially for elite athletes.

Interestingly, the individual packets are not certified. One drawback of Gnarly Fuel2O is the cost — the bulk bags contain 25 scoops at $1.50 per serving, and individual sticks, equal to 2 scoops, cost $3.30 each, making it one of the pricier options we tested.

Cost: $40 per 25-serving bulk bag, $35 for a box of 10 individual sticks (two servings per stick) | Sodium per serving: 250 milligrams | Calories per serving: 100 | Carbohydrates per serving: 25 grams | Flavors: Limeade, Cherry Cola (caffeinated), Tropical 

Best Low-Calorie/Low-Sugar Electrolyte Powder: DripDrop Zero Sugar ($36 for 32 servings)

Pros: 

• Convenient packets that are easy to store in a vest or for travel
• Mixes easily

Cons:

• Only available in individual packets, with no bulk option

Our testers found the DripDrop Zero Sugar electrolyte drink mix tasted great without the fake sweetener aftertaste common among many low-sugar offerings. At 10 calories per serving, this is an excellent choice for those with low-sugar dietary needs or who want to separate their fuel and electrolyte intake. The mix comes in conveniently slim and compact single-serving packets, making them easy to stash in a pack. They are particularly good for travel when it’s difficult to stay hydrated.

DripDrop packets contain the usual mix of sodium, potassium, and magnesium and some added B vitamins, vitamin C, and zinc for energy, recovery, and immune support. Unlike most of our top picks, specifically for sport, DripDrop was created as an oral rehydration therapy for humanitarian missions where IV fluids to treat dehydration are not readily available. At a little over $1.00 per serving, these packets aren’t exactly cheap, but they aren’t the most expensive either.

Cost: $36 for 32-packet box | Sodium per serving: 330 milligrams | Calories per serving: 10 | Carbohydrates per serving: 3 grams | Flavors: Lemon Lime, Watermelon, Passion Fruit, Peach

Best High-Sodium Electrolyte Powder: LMNT ($45 for 30 servings)

Pros: 

• High sodium in a single serving for heavy sweaters
• Small packets are easy to carry

Cons:

• Pricey
• No bulk option

The debate over salt and electrolyte requirements during exercise continues to be a hot topic, and LMNT has clearly made its position known: Salt is good! The mix offers a whopping 1,000 milligrams of sodium per packet, two to three times as much as our other top picks.

Their slogan is “Stay Salty” for a reason. We all sweat during exercise, but some of us barely muster up a glisten while others come out crusted in white patches. If you fall into the latter category, your sodium replacement needs are likely much higher than what many other electrolyte mixes provide.

LMNT comes in convenient single-serving packets that are small and easy to carry in a running pack. In addition to sodium, they also contain some potassium and magnesium. They come in a wide variety of interesting flavors, including Mango Chili and Chocolate Caramel. Instead of using sugar, LMNT sweetens the mix using stevia leaf extract.

The flavor can be a bit overpowering for some, but we found that if we diluted the mix, we were able to drink it easily. The stevia flavor is also pretty noticeable, something to be aware of if you aren’t a stevia fan.

Cost: $45 for 30 packets | Sodium per serving: 1,000 milligrams | Calories per serving: 10 | Carbohydrates per serving: 2 grams | Flavors: Citrus Salt, Grapefruit Salt, Watermelon Salt, Orange Salt, Raspberry Salt, Unflavored, Mango Chili, Chocolate Salt

Comparing the Best Electrolyte Powders

How to Choose the Best Electrolyte Powder

Ingredients

When it comes to electrolyte powder ingredients, the core formula is fairly simple: sodium, flavoring, sweetener, and sometimes smaller amounts of potassium, calcium, or magnesium. Electrolyte mixes come in a wide assortment of options, from high-calorie powders, like Tailwind Endurance Fuel, that can fuel your running needs all day to low-calorie and no-sugar mixes, like DripDrop Zero Sugar. There is something to suit just about every taste bud and dietary need out there.

The electrolyte replacement powders we tested contained a variety of sweeteners, such as cane sugar, otherwise known as sucrose, dextrose, stevia, and fructose. As far as flavoring goes, most use natural flavor to give a mix a hint of citrus, berry, watermelon, cola, or even chocolate flavor. The sodium in electrolyte drinks typically comes from sodium chloride — otherwise known as sea salt — or sodium citrate.

There are a variety of low- or no-sugar options, and some with very few ingredients and a more natural makeup, making it easy for those with dietary restrictions or allergies to find a product that works. Many of these mixes, including Tailwind Endurance Fuel, are vegan as well.

Caffeine is another frequently added ingredient, so if you need a little energy boost late in a race, you can hydrate and caffeinate all at once! Brands indicate when a powder has caffeine, so it is easy to avoid if you don’t want it.

Intended Use

Electrolyte drink mixes can be used to pre-hydrate in the days and hours prior to big training runs and races, to replace fluid and salt lost during exercise, as a combination of electrolyte and calorie replacement during longer runs, and as a recovery tool after an effort. A high-calorie mix like Tailwind Endurance Fuel can take care of both your electrolyte and calorie needs in one mix.

We know that fluid and electrolyte losses during exercise can lead to dehydration, and starting an event poorly hydrated can hasten the onset of performance decline. Drinking to thirst daily will help you begin your training and races well-hydrated, and you will feel and perform better.

Mixing some electrolytes into your daily hydration will make your drinks taste better and help replace fluid losses if you work in a hot environment or during illness. DripDrop Zero Sugar was initially developed not for sport but for hydration, and it’s an excellent option for drinking if you’ve gotten dehydrated.

The most common use of electrolyte drinks is during exercise. Low-calorie electrolyte powders such as LMNT or Gnarly Hydrate are best for runners who prefer to consume their calories through food, gels, and other sources. Don’t want to chew, or are you tired of trying to choke down yet another gel? Mixes like Tailwind Endurance Fuel and Gnarly Fuel2O have higher calories and carbohydrates per serving so that you can combine your calories, electrolytes, and hydration in one bottle.

Feeling wiped out or having muscle cramps after a hard workout or race? Adding some electrolytes to your post-exercise nutrition may help alleviate some of this. At the very least, it will make your water tasty, so you will be more apt to drink it — which is definitely a win.

Taste

Taste may be the most important factor in choosing an electrolyte drink mix, as the best product in the world won’t do you any good if it is totally unpalatable. Flavors are very subjective and can be difficult to rate or recommend, so it may require a bit of trial and error to find the best electrolyte mix for you. Most companies offer sample packs of their flavors so you can try them out without committing to a flavor you may not like.

Two main factors impact taste: the type of sweetener used and the flavoring added. As far as sweeteners go, mixes that use sugar will taste a bit sweeter and more natural than low-calorie options. Some low-calorie and low-carbohydrate mixes, such as Gnarly Hydrate and LMNT, use stevia as the sweetener. If you know you are sensitive to stevia, check the ingredient list and steer clear of those options.

The electrolyte drinks we tested come in a variety of fruit flavor combinations, including cola, chocolate, maple, ginger, and even unflavored. There are taste options to please just about anyone. Many use natural flavor extracts from plants, usually fruit, to create a specific taste.

The concentration of the mix will also impact taste. Most recommend mixing a single serving in 12 to 20 ounces of liquid, but you can always dilute or increase the concentration to create a more personalized concoction. It is important to remember that this will impact the amount of electrolytes in your bottle, so be sure to check those numbers to ensure you are getting the right amount.

Drinking electrolyte powders while running can help your performance regardless of how you carry them. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi

Cost

Cost is a significant variable to consider when choosing your electrolyte replacement. The cost of the electrolyte replacements we looked at during our initial research, including powders, dissolving tabs, and pills, varied considerably from less than 50 cents per serving to almost seven dollars!

Your intended use and frequency of consumption will factor into determining the best choice of electrolytes for you. Outside of creating your own drink mix, which has been a choice for many budget-conscious runners, the cheapest electrolyte replacement options we found are in pill or capsule form. For those who prefer the ease of a ready-made drink mix, the average cost of our winning picks was around one to two dollars per serving.

Buying bulk bags is a great way to save money on electrolyte powders. Many options, including Skratch Labs Hydration Sports Drink Mix, Tailwind Endurance Fuel, and Gnarly Fuel2O, offer single-serving packets as well as bulk bags. While single-serving packets are convenient and a great way to try out multiple flavors, the cost per serving of the bulk bags is often substantially lower. Bulk bags also produce far less waste. Once you settle on a flavor you like, you can save some serious dough by buying bulk and portioning out servings.

Certifications and Third-Party Research

Pick up a bag or packet of any sports nutrition or hydration packet, and you will see several different graphics and dietary claims, such as non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, or NSF-certified, to name a few.

Athletes, especially those at high levels of competition who are subject to regular anti-doping testing, need to use NSF Certified for Sport supplements. The NSF, or National Sanitation Foundation, is a globally recognized organization that conducts testing, auditing, and certifies products to ensure they are safe for human consumption.

Supplements, like electrolytes, can be Certified for Sport by the organization, which means gaining independent verification to be free of unsafe levels of contaminants, prohibited substances, or masking agents. The testing ensures that what is on the label matches what is in the product. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and many professional sports organizations recognize NSF certification.

If you want to be extra cautious about what you are taking from a drug-testing standpoint, you can choose nutrition and supplements that have been NSF-certified, such as Gnarly Hydrate and Gnarly Fuel2O.

Not having this certification certainly doesn’t mean other options are unsafe or contain banned substances. Many companies don’t go through the NSF certification process but create products free of banned substances.

Why You Should Trust Us

For this guide, the iRunFar testing team compiled a list of over 100 electrolyte replacement options geared toward runners and athletes. We narrowed this list and tested a dozen options to determine the winning choices you see here.

Many of these products have been in our testers’ rotation for years and used over countless miles of running and racing. For new options, we tested the drink mixes over several weeks in various conditions, including on warm days,  during long hikes, in strength sessions, and during 20-degree Fahrenheit trail races.

After taking 12 drink mix options on several hundred miles and hours of trail and road running, hiking, cycling, and strength training, we chose the winning picks based on their taste, composition, cost, and mixability.

Frequently Asked Questions About Electrolyte Powders

What are electrolytes?

Electrolytes are minerals found in our bodies. Common ones include sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. These elements are vital to many bodily functions, including muscle contractions, fluid balance, nerve signals and brain function, and heart rhythm, to name a few.

A complicated cascade of brain signals and electrical channels within our organs and tissues moves these electrolytes in and out of our bloodstream so that we can move our legs, see the trail ahead, eat our snacks, and do everything necessary to run and survive.

In order to function normally, our body keeps electrolyte levels within a tight range. Too much or too little can have dire consequences. In normal conditions, our bodies do a great job of regulating these levels to keep all of our systems healthy and functioning, but sometimes, our rate of water or electrolyte loss exceeds the body’s ability to keep everything in balance.

This can happen in hot temperatures when you sweat a lot and lose salt rapidly. Using a low-calorie electrolyte mix like DripDrop Zero Sugar can allow you to replace electrolytes without adding extra calories to your diet.

Why do we need electrolytes before, during, and after endurance training?

On a day-to-day basis, we get our electrolytes from the food we eat and the fluids we drink. In everyday conditions, a balanced diet is all we need to maintain normal levels, but problems arise when we start losing electrolytes at a faster rate than our body can compensate for. This happens most often during rapid fluid loss, such as sweating heavily, vomiting, or experiencing diarrhea.

When we sweat, we lose sodium and chloride in much higher amounts than other electrolytes. In activities less than an hour long or in colder weather, most of us can get by without any additional hydration or with water alone. Longer runs, higher temperatures and higher altitudes increase fluid and electrolyte loss, leading to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.

Higher sweat rates caused by heat or higher exertion levels mean we are probably losing sodium faster than our body can regulate. When this happens, it is important to replace sodium as well as fluids, and the easiest way to do that is by drinking an electrolyte replacement. If you’ve lost a lot of salt during a long run in hot temperatures, drinking a high-sodium drink like LMNT is an easy way to replace it.

Losing too much sodium quickly and drinking plain water alone to rehydrate can lead to hyponatremia, a serious condition that occurs when sodium levels are too low. It has symptoms such as confusion, loss of coordination, headache, seizures, and even death in severe cases due to swelling of the brain.

Maintaining hydration before and during your event is key to preventing electrolyte imbalances; choosing an electrolyte powder to mix into your fluids can help with this. For a more in-depth review of hydration and hyponatremia, check out this previous iRunFar article. While exercising, many runners find it convenient to take in their calories and electrolytes in a single mix, and we found that Tailwind Endurance Fuel effectively provides both.

Refueling and rehydrating after a race or long run is important, especially in hot weather. Runners can lose one to two liters of fluid per hour when sweating, and while we may be drinking during the run, much of this lost fluid needs to be replaced after the activity to help our bodies adequately recover.

You may notice some runners have white streaks on their hats and clothing after a hot run — this is salt residue! An electrolyte replacement can make it easier to replete losses if you are a salty sweater. Salty foods can help, too — who else loves a bag of chips after a summer run?

iRunFar’s Meghan Hicks mixes Tailwind Endurance Fuel during a long mountain run. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi

How many electrolytes should you consume?

There is no hard and fast rule on how much electrolyte replacement you should take. The most significant factor is sweat rate — the more you sweat, the more electrolytes you lose. Sweat rates have a huge range, with some studies reporting losses of anywhere from 200 milliliters to over 2 liters of fluid per hour, depending on personal physiology and the outside temperature.

The data lovers out there can estimate their sweat rate using this calculator. You’ll need your weight pre- and post-activity and a record of the activity duration and fluids consumed. Studies of athletes have shown that the sodium content of sweat can vary from 200 milligrams to two grams per liter, depending on the person and circumstances.

The average sodium content in sweat is around 800 milligrams per liter. For those who want to really dig into the numbers and data, there are wearable devices on the market to analyze the sodium content of your sweat.

Don’t worry if you aren’t into taking a deep dive into biomarkers and just want to hit the trails. You can tell a lot just by the way you look and feel after finishing a run. If you finish your runs dry and fresh as a daisy, your sweat and sodium losses are probably pretty low. If you finish and see salt crust on your hat and pack, you are probably losing a fair bit of sodium.

Most of the electrolyte powders we tested contain 200 to 500 milligrams of sodium per serving, which should be adequate for most people. For the extremely salty folks out there, some high-sodium options like LMNT have 1,000 milligrams of sodium per packet. You can also double up on servings of other mixes to adjust your bottle’s calorie and sodium content, so you can customize nearly any of the electrolyte replacement mixes to meet your needs.

What is the best electrolyte powder?

The best electrolyte powder is the one that works best for you! We recommend our favorite picks based on the iRunFar team’s testing, but many more options exist, including some homemade recipes.

The duration of your run, weather, temperature, altitude, sweat rate, taste preferences, underlying medical conditions, whether you prefer solid or liquid calories, and budget will all factor into choosing the best electrolyte drink powder for your needs.

Runners who prefer to take in their calories and electrolytes in the same bottle will benefit from a powder like Tailwind Endurance Fuel, Gnarly Fuel2O, or Skratch Labs Hydration Sports Drink Mix. Those who want to control their calorie and electrolyte intake separately will want to turn to an option like DripDrop Zero Sugar. Heavy or salty sweaters may like LMNT, which has a higher sodium content than other mixes in this list.

Portability and easy mixability are important for long races or adventures with minimal support, so choosing an electrolyte replacement that comes in individual packets may be best.

Are electrolyte drinks good for you?

Electrolyte drinks help keep you hydrated, so from this perspective, the answer is a resounding yes. However, the data on whether electrolyte drinks offer a measured or substantial performance boost in endurance sports is mostly inconclusive. This doesn’t necessarily make them bad for us; it just means that studies haven’t proven that they are essential or make us perform better.

Some races have stopped offering salt tablets in their aid stations. A high-salt option like LMNT may be overkill for many, and drinking too many electrolytes can also cause issues.

For a healthy person, taking in electrolytes and a little extra sugar with water shouldn’t cause any harm and has the potential to improve hydration and help reduce muscle cramping and other side effects of electrolyte loss. Many people have anecdotally seen an improvement in their performance and how they feel during their run when taking in an electrolyte replacement drink, so it is worth trying to see what works best for you.

For those with underlying health issues — high blood pressure, diabetes, or kidney problems — taking in too much sodium or sugar could have detrimental effects. If you are unsure whether taking an electrolyte replacement is safe for your condition or medications, check with your medical provider before consuming it.

How often should you consume electrolyte drinks?

For runs longer than an hour or in hot conditions, you will want to take in fluids and may want to consider an electrolyte replacement. Some runners aim for a particular amount of fluids per hour, while many others follow the drink-to-thirst method, where they drink when they’re thirsty and stop when they’re not. Simply put, there is no hard and fast rule as to how often you should take in hydration and electrolytes.

If you are a heavy or salty sweater, you will want to start mixing in your electrolyte replacement within the first hour or two of exercise. The easiest way is to mix electrolyte powder into a bottle or flask and consume it as you would your water. Many runners use 500-milliliter soft flasks for their electrolyte mix, aiming to drink one bottle per hour or sip as they get thirsty.

If you combine calories and electrolytes in one bottle, you should consume enough to get your desired calories per hour. Tailwind Endurance Fuel, for instance, has 200 calories, 50 grams of carbohydrates, and 630 milligrams of sodium in a single serving packet, which is equivalent to two scoops out of a bulk bag. Drinking one of these per hour is a good goal for many runners if they use liquid calories as their sole fuel source.

Electrolyte powders aren’t essential daily, and plain water combined with a balanced diet is adequate to maintain proper hydration and electrolyte levels. However, if you are gearing up for or rehydrating after a run in the heat, getting over a stomach bug, or working in a hot environment, using an electrolyte replacement like DripDrop Zero Sugar regularly could be a good idea.

Our top picks for the best electrolyte powders. Photo by iRunFar/Nathan Allen

Call for Comments

• Do you regularly use electrolyte drinks?
• What’s your favorite electrolyte option?