Athletes and fitness enthusiasts who perspire profusely know the importance of replacing fluids and electrolytes during and after a workout. Electrolytes are vital elements that help your cardiovascular, muscular and nervous systems do their job, and some are lost from your body when you sweat. But ingesting too many electrolytes can lead to serious health problems.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes are essential minerals that control fluid osmosis between body parts. They also help maintain your body's acid-base balance, ensuring an optimal body chemistry for cellular activity. Electrolytes include the minerals sodium, calcium, potassium, chlorine, phosphate and magnesium. In body fluids, electrolytes become positively charged ions capable of conducting electricity, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Your body uses electrical energy to govern cardiac rhythms and conduct nerve impulses. If electrolytes become severely depleted, your heart could stop beating. However, ingesting too much of any mineral can cause toxicity. Electrolyte imbalances most commonly involve sodium, potassium and calcium levels, according to the National Institutes of Health online publication, MedlinePlus.
Sodium Chloride
Salt, chemically known as sodium chloride, is vital for most metabolic processes. Sodium and chloride are electrolytes that help maintain the concentration and charge differences across cell membranes. Sodium is the primary positively charged ion in the fluid outside of cells, with concentrations more than 10 times greater outside cell walls than inside. Yet despite the vital role it plays in human health, too much salt can become problematic. High salt intake has been linked to hypertension or high blood pressure that leads to organ damage and heart disease.
Potassium
Potassium is the principle positively charged ion within your cells, with concentrations inside cells about 30 times higher than outside. The balance between potassium and sodium levels across cell membranes is fundamental to the electrochemical gradient known as the membrane potential. Control of the cell membrane potential is critical for muscle contraction, transmission of nerve impulses and heart function. Too much or too little potassium or sodium can interfere with this tightly controlled mechanism. The Linus Pauling Institute notes that toxic levels of potassium, known as hyperkalemia, can cause muscular weakness, temporary paralysis and abnormal heart rhythms that can lead to cardiac arrest.
Calcium
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body, 99 percent of which is stored in your bones and teeth, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. In addition to its significant contribution to bone mineral density, calcium also plays an important role in cardiovascular function, muscle contraction and nerve impulses. Despite its prominent role in human health, very high doses of calcium can cause serious health problems such as kidney toxicity, mental confusion and irregular heart rhythms. To avoid excessive amounts of electrolytes, get your essential minerals from a balanced, nutrient-dense diet, engage in regular vigorous physical activity and stay hydrated.
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