The three numbers that matter

Sodium: the main event

Sodium is what you lose most of in sweat, and what holds water in your bloodstream. The market spans an absurd range: some 'wellness' drinks provide 40–55mg per serving — barely more than flavoured water — while high-sodium brands provide 1,000mg. Neither is automatically right. A desk day needs little; a shift in heat or a high-need day needs a lot. The failure is a brand that won't tell you plainly which one it is.

Potassium: the under-dosed second

Potassium works inside your cells, balancing sodium outside them. Many best-selling packs provide only 200mg while asking you to take 1,000mg of sodium — a 5-to-1 ratio dietitians criticise. We target 300–400mg in our full-strength packs, closer to the 2-to-3-to-1 range.

Magnesium: the missing one

The most quietly damning spec in the category: a leading brand lists 0mg of magnesium, and another offers 60mg. Form matters as much as dose — magnesium oxide is poorly absorbed (around 4% in the analysis usually cited) and acts mainly as a laxative, while glycinate is the gentle, well-absorbed form. Our packs use glycinate or malate at 60–180mg.

A warning that belongs on every pack

More is not always better. High-potassium and high-sodium drinks are not for everyone — people with kidney conditions, or on certain blood-pressure and diuretic medicines, should talk to a clinician first. We print that on our packs, and we mean it.