Electrolytes

This is the weakest and most commercially conflicted vertical in the NutraTested coverage set. Electrolyte (carbohydrate-electrolyte) solutions have qualified evidence of advantage over plain water for rehydration during and after sustained exercise, particularly in heat: a 2025 systematic review (PMID 38116803) found 4-9% carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions may be effective for exercise-associated dehydration, and a 2020 RCT (PMID 33333771) showed better fluid retention with high-electrolyte ORS versus plain water (Grade B). Sodium supplementation for hyponatremia prevention in endurance events is biologically plausible and recommended in some ultra-endurance contexts, but current evidence indicates that avoiding overhydration with hypotonic fluids is the primary prevention strategy; salt supplementation alone has not been shown to reduce exercise-associated hyponatremia incidence in clinical trials per StatPearls (NBK572128; Grade B). For everyday use, adrenal support, or hangover recovery in sedentary or moderately active individuals, there is no meaningful clinical evidence base: the adrenal fatigue framing used in some marketing does not reflect a recognized medical diagnosis (PMID 30182895), and no RCT has shown electrolytes reduce hangover severity (Grade D). The independent testing layer is the thinnest of any supplement vertical covered here: the largest product-level sweep is Labdoor 2017 (16 products, now aging), ConsumerLab's electrolyte review is from 2022 and paywalled, and the most notable recent finding is a single advocacy-tester lead result on LMNT Raw Unflavored (27 ppb in dry powder, November 2024). The dominant mass-market brands including LMNT and Liquid I.V. carry no NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport certification. Expert recommendations in this category are heavily entangled with paid sponsorships and equity investments: Huberman is a paid LMNT sponsor, and Attia holds disclosed LMNT equity.