6 Joint Tips: These conditions require electrolyte replacement

On December 16th, the Symposium on Electrolyte Balance and Health jointly organized by the Drinking Water and Health Branch of the Chinese Nutrition Society and the Gastroenterologist Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association was held
.
Six professional institutions jointly issued the "Joint Tips for Electrolyte Balance and Health" to remind the public to pay attention to electrolyte balance and supplement electrolytes
correctly and reasonably.

Professor Ma Guansheng, chairman of the Drinking Water and Health Branch of the Chinese Nutrition Society, member of the Standing Committee of the Health Communication Branch of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, and director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene at the School of Public Health of Peking University, said that water and electrolyte balance is an important foundation for the stability of the human internal environment and is essential
for maintaining health.
Under normal circumstances, under self-regulation, the internal environment of the body including moisture, ion concentration, pH and osmotic pressure maintain a dynamic balance
.
If the water, electrolytes, and acid-base balance are disrupted, the function of cells will be affected, causing disease and even life-threatening
.

In order to help the public understand the importance of maintaining human water and electrolyte balance and correctly and reasonably replenish electrolytes, the Drinking Water and Health Branch of the Chinese Nutrition Society, the Gastroenterologist Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, the Physical Fitness and Health Branch of the Chinese Sports Science Society, the Health Communication Branch of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, the Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center and the Health Communication and Promotion Special Fund of the China Health Promotion Foundation jointly issued the "Joint Tips on Electrolyte Balance and Health"
.

The importance of water and electrolyte balance

Water is an important substance that constitutes the composition of the human body, accounting for 60%-70% of the weight of normal adults, and plays a vital physiological role
in maintaining cell morphology, constituting the human internal environment, maintaining osmotic pressure of body fluids, pH and electrolyte balance, and regulating body temperature.
The intake and discharge of human water maintain a state of dynamic equilibrium to maintain a suitable hydration state and normal physiological functions
.
Drinking too little or too much water will lead to the destruction of water balance and osmotic balance, which will affect the health of the body and even endanger life
.

The main component of body fluids in the human body is water, followed by electrolytes
.
Body fluids are widely distributed in various parts of the human body, and are divided into extracellular fluid and intracellular fluid
according to the distribution area.
There were large differences in the electrolyte composition and concentration of extracellular fluid and intracellular fluid, and the cations of extracellular fluid were mainly sodium ions, anions were mainly chloride ions, followed by bicarbonate ions; The cations of the intracellular fluid are mainly potassium ions, and the anions include bicarbonate ions and
proteins.
Maintaining the electrolyte balance and osmolality balance of intracellular fluid and extracellular fluid is essential
for maintaining the normal shape and function of cells and maintaining the normal physiological function and health of the body.

Electrolyte abnormalities can be harmful to the health
of the body.
If the electrolyte concentration of the extracellular fluid is lower than the concentration of the intracellular fluid, the cell will continue to absorb water, exceeding the stretch limit of the cell membrane, and the cell will rupture
.
If the electrolyte concentration of the extracellular fluid is higher than the concentration of the intracellular fluid, the cells will lose water, shrink or even die
.
Sodium metabolism disorders in the body will cause fatigue, irritability, muscle aches and other symptoms; Disorders of potassium metabolism will cause symptoms such as indifferent expression, muscle pain and weakness, thirst, and nausea; Calcium metabolism disorders will cause symptoms such as unresponsiveness, emotional apathy, increased muscle tone, and hand and foot twitching; Magnesium metabolism disorders can cause dizziness, muscle spasms, movement disorders and other symptoms
.
Severe electrolyte abnormalities can be life-threatening
.

When electrolytes need to be replaced in daily life

1.
When working in a high-temperature environment for a long time or with high intensity physical activity

During long-term or high-intensity physical activity, or work in a high-temperature environment, the body mainly regulates body temperature by sweating a lot to dissipate heat, and water and electrolytes will be lost
as sweat evaporates a lot.
In this case, not only hydration, but also electrolyte replenishment
is required.
In high-temperature environments, it is also necessary to leave the high-temperature environment in time for physical cooling
.
If you simply supplement a large amount of water without electrolyte supplementation, electrolyte imbalances may occur, and in severe cases, even cause water poisoning, which is life-threatening
.

Studies have shown that supplementing water and electrolytes by drinking electrolyte water in moderation before, during and after long-term exercise can improve the body's hydration state and maintain electrolyte balance, which is conducive to the improvement of sports performance and the recovery
of fatigue.

2.
Fever, vomiting, diarrhea, etc

When fever or fever persists, electrolyte abnormalities may occur due to heavy perspiration, which is usually low in sodium, potassium, and calcium
.
In this case, electrolytes
should be replaced appropriately under the guidance of a doctor or according to the physical condition.

Morning sickness: Pregnant women will experience nausea, vomiting and other early pregnancy reactions
in the first trimester.
If severe vomiting occurs, or even if you cannot eat normally, it will cause too little intake of inorganic salts such as potassium and sodium, resulting in electrolyte
imbalances.
Studies have found that for women during childbirth, appropriate intake of energy electrolyte fluids can reduce the incidence of ketosis and vomiting in pregnant women
.

If severe morning sickness occurs during pregnancy, unable to eat, etc.
, you should seek medical attention in time and replenish electrolytes
under the evaluation and guidance of professionals.

Vomiting after drinking: Vomiting after drinking alcohol will cause the body to lose electrolytes and aggravate the impact of
alcohol on myocardial function.
Alcohol abuse may also indirectly cause kidney disease and electrolyte disturbances and acid-base imbalance
.
Prompt electrolyte replacement is required
.

Diarrhea: diarrhea causes a large loss of water and electrolytes, and may be dehydrated with electrolyte abnormalities, so appropriate electrolyte
replacement is required.
Severe diarrhea may cause hyponatremia, hyperchloremia, hypocalcemia, and hypokalemia, and should be seen promptly
.
Therefore, patients with diarrhea should not only treat the cause, but also pay attention to maintaining electrolyte balance
.

3.
In the case of some diseases, electrolyte supplementation should be cautious

In the case of chronic renal failure, acute and chronic heart failure, endocrine diseases and other related diseases, patients may develop electrolyte imbalances due to impaired physical functions
.
For patients with the above diseases, they should seek medical attention in time and reasonably correct electrolyte abnormalities
under the evaluation and guidance of a doctor.

How to scientifically replenish water and electrolytes

For water supplementation, adult men should drink 1700 mL of water per day and women 1500 mL per
day.
The appropriate daily intake of water for pregnant women is 1700 mL and for nursing mothers is 2100 mL
.
When performing physical activity, pay attention to the intake of water before, during and after physical activity, and replenish 100-200 mL of water every 15-20 minutes; When physical activity increases, consume an additional 300-500 mL of water per day; In hot weather or increased physical activity, water intake should be appropriately increased according to perspiration, and electrolytes
should be replaced as appropriate.

Regarding electrolyte supplementation, if the above situations require electrolyte supplementation, it can be done in the following ways:

Through food supplementation

Under normal circumstances, it is recommended to supplement electrolytes through food, and many foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, etc.
, which can effectively replenish electrolytes
.
For example, eating foods such as bananas and spinach can increase potassium intake; Eating milk, soy products, fish and shrimp, etc.
can increase the intake of calcium ions; Dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, etc.
supplement magnesium ions
.

Choose electrolyte water or electrolyte drinks

Electrolyte water or electrolyte beverage is a beverage made by dissolving a group of compounds with water according to relevant standards, which can replenish water and electrolytes
.

After a lot of perspiration caused by high temperature, exercise, etc.
, moderate consumption of electrolyte water or electrolyte drinks can replace the lost electrolytes
.
Drinking electrolyte drinks after exercise dehydration is conducive to the replenishment of water and the improvement of hydration status of the body
.

People with morning sickness, fever, diarrhea, or vomiting should present a regular doctor and drink electrolyte water or electrolyte drinks appropriately to replace lost electrolytes under the evaluation and guidance of a doctor
.

People working in special environments such as high temperatures can choose electrolyte water or electrolyte drinks to replenish water and electrolytes
in time.

Other clinical routes such as drugs

Patients with excessive electrolyte loss due to disease require standardized medical attention and electrolyte replacement under the evaluation and guidance of a physician
.

At the same time, the reporter noted that in the new crown virus infection prevention recommendations issued by relevant departments, it is also clearly prompted to "pay attention to the balance of water and electrolytes" or "appropriately supplement drinking water with a certain amount of electrolyte"
.

Experts at the meeting said that the balance of water and electrolytes is an important foundation for the stability of the human internal environment and is essential for maintaining health, and hoped that the public can better understand relevant health knowledge and take care of their own and their families' health
.

(Jiang Mei)

Preliminary review: Li Song Responsible editor: Zhao Yu Review: Wang Jinchen