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.

The beverage vending machines in the hospital include electrolyte water of various brands. Photo by Wei Xianghui

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 teaching the public how to make their own "electrolyte" drinks.

During the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic last year, popular topics appeared on the Internet, such as "When should you drink electrolyte water to be effective?", "Electrolyte water balance and health", and "Is it reliable to make your own electrolyte water at home?" Many beverage brands even ran out of stock of electrolyte water at one point, and it was hard to find water.

Recently, the news that hospitals in many places distributed electrolyte water to patients with fever has caused widespread discussion on social media. I visited some fever clinics in hospitals in Beijing and saw that many clinics had electrolyte drinks available, which patients could buy on their own.

Li Ran, deputy director of the Department of Infection and Clinical Microbiology at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, introduced that when many patients have a fever, doctors will recommend them to drink some electrolyte drinks. This is mainly because when they have a fever, they will sweat a lot, which will take away a lot of body water and electrolytes. If they are not replenished in time, especially groups such as the elderly and children will become dehydrated. Electrolyte drinks contain common electrolytes such as sodium chloride, potassium, and magnesium that the human body needs.

A patient is receiving treatment in the fever clinic of the hospital. Photo by Wei Xianghui

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 when recovering from a high fever or recovering from the flu 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 homemade electrolyte water, the main ingredients of which are lemon, salt and sugar. In response, experts said that homemade electrolyte water uses potassium ions in lemons, sodium ions in 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 role in replenishing electrolytes.

In addition, Fan Zhihong, professor at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering of China Agricultural University and 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, juice, coconut milk, and sweet drinks. It's simple and easy."