Drinking salt water (with a little salt) can boost blood volume in healthy young guys at rest, and the effect starts within an hour and lasts. Plain water doesn’t do this because it makes you pee more and dilutes your blood.

37

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

37

Community contributions welcome

37

Carbohydrate hastens hypervolemia achieved through ingestion of aqueous sodium solution in resting euhydrated humans

Cross-Sectional Study

Human

2021 Dec

The study found that drinking salt water increases blood volume and keeps it up, while plain water doesn’t, because the body quickly gets rid of the extra water through urine.

Contradicting (0)

0

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Carbohydrate hastens hypervolemia achieved through ingestion of aqueous sodium solution in resting euhydrated humans

Score: 37

DOI: 10.1007/s00421-021-04788-0

Similar Assertions

If young, healthy guys at rest drink salty water (with 0.7% or 0.9% salt), they hold onto more fluid than if they drank plain water—because they pee less and their body fluids stay balanced.

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Drinking a sports-type drink with carbs and salt boosts blood volume faster than drinking salt water alone — it starts working in 30 minutes instead of 60, at least in healthy young guys just sitting around.

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When people who don’t get high blood pressure from salt eat more or less salt, their kidneys adjust how much salt they pee out—no matter if they’re male or female.

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