Over the past few years, you might have heard advertisements in your podcast feed or on social media for electrolyte supplements.

If you haven’t seen them, they’re basically these little sachets or tubs that get mixed in with water as a drink.

News media reports demand for such products is exploding – with the market for electrolyte supplements set to grow to 112 billion dollars by 2030, more than doubling in size in less than a decade.

They go by a bunch of different names … and their marketing often suggests we could all use more electrolytes in our life.

But what’s the science on this swing towards salty beverages? Who actually needs them? And what does our obsession with optimised hydration … say about us?