Sports drinks and other oral rehydration solutions, intended to replace water and minerals your body loses during illness or exercise, often contain sodium (salt) and glucose (sugar). The two work together to restore your body's fluid balance.
A Healthy Balance
Normally, your intestine continuously exchanges water. Every 24 hours, up to 20 liters of water is secreted through the intestinal wall and almost as much is reabsorbed. This allows your bloodstream to absorb nutrients from digested food.
Dehydration
Exercise, heat, diarrhea, vomiting, shock and other conditions can cause dehydration, an excessive loss of water and electrolytes (minerals such as sodium and potassium). When you're dehydrated, your intestine secretes more water than it absorbs. Your body also loses sodium, which is carried in blood and other body fluids.
Salt
The American College of Sports Medicine suggests drinking plain water if exercising for less than an hour. Adding salt to water can help replace the sodium your body loses during vigorous or longer exercise, or when you are ill.
Glucose
Glucose helps transport sodium through the intestinal wall. This is especially important if you have diarrhea, which hinders the process by which the intestine absorbs sodium. Glucose also can help replace some of the carbohydrates you burn during exercise. And it makes drinks taste better, which may encourage you to drink enough fluid.
Potassium
In cases of more severe dehydration, your body can lose potassium. That is why rehydration solutions and some sports drinks contain potassium as well as salt and glucose.
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