Milk contains minerals which, when digested, release important electrolytes that the body needs to function. All electrolytes have important roles in regulating many body functions and milk is particularly rich in three electrolytes. While there are health reasons for consuming milk with lower fat content, such does not greatly affect the mineral content and electrolyte value of milk.
The Basics
Electrolytes are minerals that carry a charge of electrical energy when dissolved in a liquid. Examples include potassium, phosphorus, sodium and calcium, with each offering a particular strength to its electrical charge. Fundamentally, these charges can be positive or negative, and that charge, along with an electrolyte's individual strength, determines how it reacts with other molecules inside the body.
Source
All electrolytes used by the body come from the foods you eat. The foods contain minerals that hold the electrolytes in a bound state. When dissolved in water inside the digestive tract, the minerals start to break down. This causes the electrolytes to be released from the minerals. The body absorbs the freed electrolytes through the digestive tract. The electrolytes then travel in the bloodstream to reach all of the body's cells.
Importance
Every cell in the body needs electrolytes to stay healthy and alive. Indeed, electrolytes are fundamental to every physiological function in the body. Their charge dictates how the body uses them in chemical reactions. Their functions are widespread and required for processes such as maintaining water balance, making vitamins and proteins, and fueling energy metabolism. Nerve cells transmit electrical impulses to and from the brain based on various electrolyte ratios inside and outside individual nerve cells.
Electrolytes and Milk
Most of the electrolytes in milk are bound up as minerals that are released upon digestion. The amount of minerals present in milk varies only slightly with milk's fat content. Milk is particularly rich in the minerals potassium, calcium and phosphorus. The Dairy Council of California says one serving of milk supplies 12 to 15, 30 to 38 and 24 to 30 percent, respectively, of the recommended Daily Value, or DV, of these three minerals. Smaller amounts of sodium, selenium and iron are also present in milk.
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