James Smith is pretty famous now for giving his brutally honest take on things in the health and fitness world.
And electrolytes are one of the latest things he’s decided to weigh in on.
In a recent LinkedIn post, James Smith explained that he used to take electrolytes himself and had even started planning his own electrolyte brand.
But once he looked properly at the research, he changed his mind.
James Smith on electrolytes
Smith said he realised that, for most people, adding electrolytes to water probably isn’t necessary.
His point is that many of us already get enough salt through food, especially if we’re not following an incredibly strict diet.
So adding even more through an electrolyte drink may not be doing much at all.
He was pretty open about the fact that this came as a surprise to him too.
Turns out, Smith had already mapped out an entire electrolyte range for his own brand, including flavours linked to jiu jitsu belt colours, before deciding to scrap the idea.
That meant walking away from a product category he says comes with some seriously high mark ups.
In true James Smith style, instead of pushing ahead anyway, he spoke to an expert, recorded a podcast, made a YouTube video, and looked more closely at the research.
Who actually needs electrolytes?
According to James Smith, electrolyte drinks are unlikely to offer much benefit to around 99% of people.
The exception would be anyone doing extreme endurance events, training for very long periods, or dealing with unusually high sweat rates.
Those people may genuinely need to replace more sodium during exercise.
But for the average person heading to the gym, going for a run, or just going about their day, Smith’s view is pretty simple.
You probably don’t need them.
He also made the point that supplements should actually fill a gap.
That’s why he sells creatine through Neutonic, because most people aren’t already getting enough creatine through their diet.
Electrolytes, on the other hand, are a very different story for the average person.
And that’s really James Smith’s point.
Before spending money on another supplement, it’s worth asking whether you actually need it in the first place.
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