How Do The Electrolytes Of Sodium, Potassium & Chloride Function In The Body Compared To Water?

Keeping two-thirds of body fluids inside the cells and one-third outside the cells is vital to life, according to Eleanor Whitney and Sharon Rolfes in "Understanding Nutrition." Too much water entering the cells would rupture them. Too much water leaving the cells would cause them to collapse. Cells control the movement of water by directing the movement of the major minerals, including sodium, potassium and chloride.

Identification

Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen molecules and conducts electricity poorly. Electrolytes are minerals in your blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge. When a mineral salt such as sodium chloride dissolves in water, it separates into positively and negatively charged particles. These charged particles carry electrical current, and the body fluids that contain them are called electrolyte solutions.

Process

Electrolytes attract water. This attraction dissolves salts in water, making it easier to move the minerals into appropriate compartments. Sodium and chloride reside mostly outside of the cells. Potassium, magnesium, phosphate and sulfate reside primarily inside the cells.

Cell membranes allow the passage of some molecules but not others into or out of the cells. Whenever electrolytes move across the membrane, water follows, according to "Understanding Nutrition." Proteins such as the sodium-potassium pump regulate the flow of fluids and electrolytes in and out of cells.

Balance

Since sodium and chloride reside mostly outside the cells, they are the first electrolytes to be lost when the body loses fluids through sweating, bleeding or excretion. That's why you crave salty foods and refreshing drinks after excessive sweating.

Health care workers may use oral rehydration therapy to treat dehydration caused by diarrhea, according to "Understanding Nutrition." One simple ORT recipe includes 1 cup boiling water, 2 tsp. sugar and a pinch of salt. After rehydration, you can begin eating foods. Your doctor can order basic chemistry tests to measure electrolytes, according to KidsHealth.org.

Significance

Electrolytes affect the amount of water in your body, the acidity of your blood, your muscle action and other important processes, according to MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. The gastrointestinal tract and the kidneys regulate the amounts and proportions of minerals in the body to keep them nearly constant, which is vital to the life of the cells.

The GI tract recycles 8 liters of fluids and electrolytes each day. The kidneys control the water content of the body by ADH, antidiuretic hormone. The kidneys control the electrolyte content with the help of the hormone aldosterone from the adrenal glands. Working together, the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys keep the right amount of water in the body with a balance of total positive and negative charges.

Considerations

Certain situations may overwhelm the body's ability to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance. A medical emergency may be caused by vomiting, diarrhea, heavy sweating, burns or wounds. Drink water, juice or both to replace lost fluids. Water alone doesn't contain the electrolytes such as sodium and potassium needed to maintain the electric currents that keep your heart beating. An electrolyte imbalance can be serious, according to MayoClinic.com.