Should you be afraid of electrolyte drinks?

In Bangladesh, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have played a crucial role in shaping people's beverage consumption. Following these soft drinks, energy drinks became popular in the early 2000s. 

Now, electrolyte drinks have emerged as the new sensation. Especially during the heatwave, people were consuming it all the time. The beverages come in a variety of flavours and colours.  

Recently, they became the talk of the town as the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) filed a case against seven companies for selling these drinks without any government approval. 

The court ordered a withdrawal of all SMC Plus and Recharge electrolyte drinks from the market after it fined their producers Tk16 lakh and Tk12 lakh,  respectively.

But what made them so popular in the first place? Also, are they really safe for regular consumption? 

Health experts say they are usually high in different kinds of sugar, and salts, which can raise blood sugar and blood pressure. So, these drinks cannot be casually consumed throughout the day, like water.

Why do people like it so much?

Electrolytes are a substance that dissociates in water into charged particles called ions. It is an important element for our body and they are balanced naturally. Without a proper balance of electrolytes, your body may not function optimally. In severe cases, it could lead to conditions such as dehydration, heart disease, or stroke.

When your body lacks electrolyte for whatever reason, electrolyte drinks can come to your rescue. These beverages are enhanced with electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. 

Sweating doesn't necessarily lead to electrolyte imbalance. It is a common misconception. If you sweat, simply drink enough fresh water. At most, drink coconut water. It is a great source of both electrolytes: sodium and potassium.

—Shamsun Naher Mohua, Principal Nutrition Officer and Head of Nutrition, Department of Diet and Nutrition, BIRDEM General Hospital

They are a good way to replenish minerals and retain hydration after excessive sweating or other loss of fluid such as diarrhoea or vomiting.

SMC Enterprise Ltd introduced SMC Plus in 2021 as the first electrolyte drink in the country. Before that, the market only had foreign brands, especially for athletes and gym-goers. 

However, today the market features a number of players, such as Active Plus by Pran, Turbo by Akij, Bruvana Sports+ by Bruvana Beverage Limited, Recharge by Deshbandhu and Agami Company etc. Apart from big companies, there are small businesses bringing out electrolyte drinks of their own, such as 'BLU' by content creator Iftekhar Rafsan, and the recently introduced 'Spark'. 

Their entry indicates a rapidly growing demand and the urge to capture market share.

After talking to a few young individuals, we discovered that many think of electrolyte drinks as a healthier substitute to carbonated drinks and a tastier substitute to water or saline. 

"After vigorous sweating during sports activities, it works as a great replenishment as it contains proper electrolyte distribution. It also has glucose to provide instant energy. Better than carbonated beverages, of course," said Azraf Nazmi, an intern doctor at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

"I have had it occasionally, when I felt dehydrated. Not obsessed with it. However, it tastes better than saline or glucose due to the flavouring, and feels more refreshing than water or soft drink, so I somewhat like it," said Fatiha Nusrat, a final year university student.

Many people however avoid electrolyte drinks as it is not a cost-effective choice. 250 ml of Turbo, SMC Plus, and Bruvana Sports+ costs Tk 30, 35 and 40, respectively. 

There are cheaper options available: take a pack of flavoured saline and mix it with 500 ml of water. It would cut the cost to nearly one-fourth. However, people typically miss out on this cost calculation. In fact, the companies also target the consumer group who are young, urban and extravagant.

Leveraging SMC's existing trusted consumer base, SMC Plus gained immense popularity. People really liked the taste. But it failed to meet the massive demand, and often there was a supply shortage. 

It paved the way for the local brands to enter the market and compete with SMC. 

As a result, electrolyte drinks, aka sports drinks, were no longer just for athletes; they became familiar, accessible, and popular among the general public. 

Rising health concerns 

Electrolyte drink is not something you can consume anytime. It's not something to merely satisfy your thirst with.

According to an article published by University of New Hampshire, consuming electrolyte drinks might be dangerous for someone who has hypertension as sodium draws water into the bloodstream, increasing the volume of blood, which raises blood pressure. 

"Sweating doesn't necessarily lead to electrolyte imbalance. It is a common misconception. If you sweat, simply drink enough fresh water. At most, drink coconut water. It is a great source of both electrolytes: sodium and potassium", advised Shamsun Naher Mohua, Principal Nutrition Officer and Head of Nutrition, Department of Diet and Nutrition, BIRDEM General Hospital.

"Electrolyte balance occurs naturally inside the body. Normally, there is no need to consume any additional food for that. You need them only when you have a deficiency. Otherwise, they may exceed the standard amount and cause health hazards. This may result in headaches, dizziness, and vomiting," she said.

Sabbir Ahmed is a PhD researcher of Regenerative Medicine in the Netherlands investigating early biomarkers of kidney diseases. He regularly posts content based on medical science on his YouTube channel where he has 735K subscribers. 

In one of his videos, he shows from his laboratory that SMC Plus contains 8-9% of sugar. He comes to a conclusion that the drink is not for someone who has diabetes or kidney disease.

The issue of 'unauthorised' marketing and sales

According to the case filed by the BFSA, the marketed electrolyte drinks have no approval from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) or Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA).

Ironically, the authorities do not recognise electrolyte drinks as any category yet, since it is relatively new in the country and not a compulsory product either.

Khandaker Shamim Rahman, general manager of marketing at the SMC, told TBS, "We have met the BSTI regarding electrolyte drinks. However, the list of products that it can approve does not include electrolyte drinks. They stated that it would not require approval and that approval would be given when it is added under a category."

BFSA also stated in the case that the companies marketing and selling the electrolyte drinks through advertisements on YouTube channels and social media sites are spreading false information about the products' health benefits, such as curing dehydration and controlling low blood pressure.

Electrolyte drinks, as a category, fall in-between an energy drink and a drug. Thus its status remains unclear until BSTI comes up with a proper guideline for it.

Selling unauthorised products is clearly a violation of consumer rights, according to S M Nazer Hossain, Vice President of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB). However, he also urged the consumers to check the BSTI approval mark before consuming something.

"Not only electrolytes, there are many other companies that are running business without approval. The push should come from the government's end. It's their responsibility to monitor whether they have authorisation or not," he said, adding, "they should have questioned it within all these years. It's not like all of this happened underground. The products are already quite popular, especially among the youth."

BSTI is likely to declare guidelines for electrolyte products soon. Whenever that may happen, remember that other than water, there is no other liquid you can drink in abundance.