Most people assume more electrolytes means better hydration. But when it comes to sodium, more isn't always better — and the science is pretty clear on why.
The Problem With High-Sodium Hydration Drinks
Many popular sports drinks and hydration mixes pack in sodium levels designed for elite endurance athletes running marathons in the heat. For the average active person — gym sessions, hikes, hot days, travel — that level of salt can actually work against you.
Here's why: your gut absorbs fluids based on a principle called osmolality — essentially, the concentration of dissolved particles (like sodium) in a liquid relative to your blood. When a drink is too concentrated (hypertonic), water is actually drawn into your intestinal tract from surrounding tissue to dilute it, reducing net fluid absorption rather than improving it.
What the Research Shows
A landmark review by Leiper (2015) published in Nutrition Reviews found that beverage osmolality significantly affects gastric emptying rate — high-osmolality drinks leave the stomach more slowly, delaying the point at which fluids even reach your intestines for absorption.
Research by Gisolfi et al. on intestinal fluid absorption demonstrated that hypotonic and isotonic solutions (lower sodium concentration) are absorbed more efficiently across the intestinal wall than hypertonic ones. The body simply doesn't have to work as hard to process them.
The World Health Organization's Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) — the gold standard for rehydration developed from decades of clinical research — specifies sodium at approximately 60–75 mmol/L. Many commercial sports drinks exceed this significantly, particularly those marketed for "serious" athletes.
Shirreffs & Sawka (2011), writing in the Journal of Sports Sciences, noted that while sodium is essential for stimulating thirst and aiding fluid retention post-exercise, excessive sodium intake can increase plasma osmolality and actually impair the rehydration process for most people.
Finally, Evans et al. (2009) compared hypotonic and hypertonic solutions in a controlled trial and found that subjects consuming lower-sodium, hypotonic beverages achieved better net fluid balance — meaning more of what they drank actually stayed in their body where it was needed.
What This Means for You
If you're not a professional endurance athlete sweating for hours in extreme heat, you likely don't need — and may be actively hindered by — the sodium levels in many mainstream hydration products.
What you do need is a balanced electrolyte profile that supports absorption without overwhelming your system: enough sodium to stimulate uptake and retain fluid, paired with potassium and other minerals that work alongside it.
A Smarter Way to Hydrate
Burbo Lemon Berry Hydration is formulated with this balance in mind — real electrolytes at levels that support efficient absorption for everyday active people, not just elite athletes. Each 14-pack is designed for the gym session, the afternoon run, the long travel day — hydration that actually works with your body.