It’s 2026, and electrolyte drinks are everywhere: filling our grocery store aisles, taking over our social media feeds, sponsoring our Pride parades and partnering with our LGBTQ2S+ community centres. The electrolyte drink industry has indisputably been growing, likely a consequence of increased consumer interest in wellness-related products—and in hydration as a health trend. A report from advisory company Custom Market Insights predicts an almost-double growth for the electrolyte industry within the decade, from US $32 billion  in 2024 to US $63 billion  in 2034.

As our societal fixation on hydration grows, queer people aren’t immune. Influencers and glittery Etsy stickers alike warn us to “Hydrate or die straight”—threatening us with fluids-based conversion therapy if we don’t get enough liquids.
 

With Pride events ongoing and summer heating up, should we really be reaching for electrolyte drinks, rather than plain old water, when we’re thirsty? 
 

Where did electrolyte drinks even come from? 

In the 1960s, researchers at the University of Florida convened to figure out why exactly their school’s athletes were losing fluids and becoming ill during intense games. The product that came out of these meetings—a salt-and-sugar-infused concoction that initially tasted so bad it literally inspired vomiting—would go on to launch an industry. Gatorade and its competitors helped athletes more easily maintain fluid and mineral levels during exercise, and later became a ubiquitous part of sports culture. 
 

Recently, electrolyte drinks, sachets and drops have been branching out from the realm of sports and into more quotidian environments. TikTok girlies rave about adding squirts of MiO drops into their iced beverage concoctions; zoomer boys venerate influencer-driven Prime drinks as symbols of coolness. 
 

Our expanding interest in electrolyte-infused drinks is probably not unrelated to how we’ve been putting protein in our candies and probiotics in our sodas. As what some have called “the cult of wellness” occupies us more and more, many are inspired to embark on a quest in pursuit of optimal personal health—which includes staying optimally hydrated. 
 

What are electrolytes? 

Electrolytes are, naturally, electric in nature—substances that carry positive or negative charges when dissolved in water. The key components in electrolytes are the positively charged substances sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium. Most electrolyte products contain sodium, which helps us retain water, as well as potassium, which helps the water penetrate our cells. When we sweat, we don’t just lose fluids, we lose sodium, too. 
 

Evelyne Deblock, a sports nutritionist at the Institut national du sport du Québec, notes that electrolyte drinks are largely useful for specific cases where people need to rehydrate quickly. This can include after doing prolonged exercise in the heat, when suffering from vomiting or diarrhea or even when recovering from intense hangovers. 
 

Hydrating with electrolyte drinks is unnecessary for most people

Other than specific situations like these, for most people, in the majority of cases, hydrating with electrolyte drinks is unnecessary. And using them when they’re unnecessary might even be unhealthy. “People really eat a lot of salt every day,” Deblock says. “If they eat a lot of restaurant food or processed foods, they’re going to have enough sodium in their diet. Too much sodium increases blood pressure, so it can be a problem for the heart.” 

Many electrolyte drinks contain a lot of sugar, too. This sugar, in combination with the sodium, can help athletes absorb water more effectively. But for the average person, who already consumes more sugar than recommended, hydrating with sweet drinks can do more harm than good by adding additional unnecessary sugar to their diets. 
 

“If someone drinks too many electrolyte drinks, they’re probably going to have too much processed sugar in their diet,” Deblock says. “For someone who just wants to rehydrate, drinks that contain sugar are not useful.”
 

That said, some trans women may need more electrolytes  

Certain segments of the population might see more benefits from the quick hydration offered by these products. For transfeminine people taking spironolactone as an anti-androgen, electrolyte drinks may be useful to counterbalance the diuretic quality of the medication. “If they take spironolactone, it can increase urine production, which can affect the balance of sodium and potassium,” Deblock says. 

Some psychiatric medications, like antidepressants or stimulants, can cause excessive sweating in some users. If you’re experiencing that side effect, electrolyte drinks might help you more effectively rehydrate, particularly when spending time outside in the heat. 

Older people, too, may benefit from electrolyte drinks, due to their increased risk of dehydration. “They don’t think too much about drinking water,” Deblock says. “They don’t want to go pee, so they restrict their water intake.” Electrolyte drinks can help them rehydrate more quickly. 
 

What should queer people look for in electrolyte drinks? 

With such a wide range of electrolyte drinks now available, it can be difficult to know what to look for. Not all these products are made equal: some contain unnecessary excess sugar and low amounts of minerals, while others will be more effectively hydrating. Deblock suggests looking for drinks that have between 200 and 500 milligrams of sodium per litre, some potassium and less than 30 grams of total sugar per bottle. 
 

And if you ever find yourself thirsty in front of a convenience store fridge, scratching your head before the range of colourful drinks promising hydration, you can never go wrong grabbing a bottle of regular old H20.