It's not just about salt — how your body balances salt and water together is what really affects hydration and prevents problems like low sodium or cramps during exercise.

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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Community contributions welcome

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Sodium intake for athletes before, during and after exercise: review and recommendations

Narrative Review

The study says it’s not just how much salt you take, but how salt and water work together that matters for staying hydrated and avoiding problems like low sodium or cramps during sports.

Contradicting (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

Sodium intake for athletes before, during and after exercise: review and recommendations

Score: 1

DOI: 10.1186/s44410-025-00011-9

Similar Assertions

If endurance athletes drink a lot during long workouts and also take in sodium, it might help prevent low blood salt levels — but it probably won’t make them perform better just by itself.

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75%

Even if endurance runners take a lot of salt pills during long races, drinking too much water — like 10 liters — can still give them a dangerous condition called low blood sodium. Salt alone won’t protect you if you’re chugging way too much water.

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72%

When people exercise a lot, they can get low sodium because they drink too much water, not because they aren’t taking in or losing too much salt.

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71%

Some athletes sweat out a lot of salt, and because everyone's different, a few need to eat more salt to stay healthy and avoid serious problems like low sodium or heat illness.

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71%