[Popular Science] If you have the flu, does drinking electrolyte water help?

During the New Year's Day holiday, the risk of respiratory disease transmission is still high. Recently, many hospitals in Beijing, Xi'an and Wuhan distributed electrolyte water to patients with fever, and some netizens praised this as a heartwarming move. At the same time, questions such as what the electrolyte water does and whether it can prevent influenza have also attracted attention.

Doctors recommend that patients with fever drink electrolyte water appropriately

Winter is the peak season for respiratory diseases. There are many popular science suggestions on health preservation and disease prevention on the Internet, including guidance on using electrolyte water after a high fever, bloggers sharing the ingredients of various electrolyte drinks, and tutorials on how to make "electrolyte" drinks. During the peak of the new coronavirus epidemic last year, there were also hot topics on the Internet such as "When should electrolyte water be drunk to be effective", "Electrolyte water balance and health", and "Is it reliable to make electrolyte water at home after yang", and many beverage brands even ran out of electrolyte water at one time, which can be said to be "water is hard to find". Recently, the news that hospitals in many places distributed electrolyte water to patients with fever has caused widespread discussion on social media. Reporters visited the fever clinics of some hospitals in Beijing and saw that many clinics have electrolyte drinks available, and patients can buy them by themselves. Li Ran, deputy director of the Department of Infection and Clinical Microbiology of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, said that when many patients have a fever, doctors will recommend them to drink some electrolyte drinks, mainly because they sweat a lot when they have a fever, which will take away a lot of water and electrolytes from the body. If they are not replenished in time, especially groups such as the elderly and children will become dehydrated, and electrolyte drinks contain conventional electrolytes such as sodium chloride, potassium, and magnesium that the human body needs.

Electrolyte water does not prevent the flu

Li Ran reminded that electrolyte water can only replenish body fluids and cannot be used to prevent influenza A and B. The main ways to prevent influenza are to wear masks, wash hands frequently, open windows for ventilation, and get vaccinated. Li Ran also mentioned that it is not recommended to drink too much boiled water when you have a fever. Because boiled water will dilute the electrolyte components in the body, causing many patients to have low sodium and low potassium. There are many electrolyte products on the market. How should everyone choose during the recovery of high fever or the self-healing of influenza at home? Li Ran said that oral rehydration salts are the first choice, followed by electrolyte drinks containing sodium and potassium. People without diabetes can choose electrolyte drinks with sugar, because glucose is the energy needed by the human body. Some patients have a decreased appetite when they have a fever and need to supplement glucose.

Can I make my own electrolyte water?

On social media, some netizens posted tutorials on how to make their own electrolyte water, the main ingredients of which include lemon, table salt and sugar. In this regard, experts said that homemade electrolyte water uses potassium ions in lemons, sodium ions in table salt, and glucose components in sugar to maintain the body's balance. When the body is dehydrated and in urgent need of electrolyte replenishment, this homemade electrolyte water can play a certain supplementary role. In addition, Fan Zhihong, a professor at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering of China Agricultural University and a director of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology, also wrote on his Weibo, "You can make your own electrolyte-replenishing drinks and soups at home. For example, add a small amount of salt to tomato soup, vegetable soup, chicken soup with white radish, sweet corn soup, pea soup, etc. You can also add salt to tea, fruit juice, coconut milk, and sweet drinks. It is simple and easy."