LMNT's electrolyte ratio explained

LMNT contains 1000 mg of sodium, 200 mg of potassium, 60 mg of magnesium, and zero sugar. This bold yet simple formula is based on the latest scientific literature and evidence gathered from coaching tens of thousands of clients.

Finding a Solution in Plain Sight

As a former research biochemist and New York Times bestselling author, LMNT Co-Founder Robb Wolf is well-versed on the intricacies of metabolism. And his former coaches spent years assessing and optimizing the diets of their community. This combination unlocked a powerful insight.

When Robb — frustrated with his performance on the jiu jitsu mat — came to his coaches for advice, they knew immediately: He needed to dial in his electrolytes, specifically sodium. And when he took their advice a switch flipped, both on and off the mat.

But he wasn’t alone. They saw that others adhering to otherwise healthy whole foods diets were exhibiting the symptoms of sodium, potassium, and magnesium deficiencies, too. Robb and his former coaches started to tinker with DIY electrolyte drink recipes and share them with their communities. It wasn’t long before they heard folks in their communities sharing how much better they felt when they got the right amount of electrolytes, particularly sodium.

While hydration isn’t the only pillar of health to pay attention to — sleep, exercise, relationships, stress management, and diet all play crucial roles in our wellbeing — we designed LMNT to help make healthy hydration a bit easier. No DIY needed. Let’s dive into how we chose LMNT’s electrolyte ratio.

Sodium in LMNT

Each stick pack of LMNT contains 1,000 mg of sodium. Sodium is an essential mineral, and many folks may benefit more than they think to support energy, mental clarity, and performance. There are several reasons for this:

1. To replace heavy sodium losses through sweat. Athletes can lose several grams of sodium when training, particularly in hot, humid climates. We’ve talked to professional athletes’ trainers and they often log up to a 10-gram sodium loss in a hard practice or game.
2. To balance diets lacking in sodium. Processed foods contribute about 70% of US Americans’ sodium intake. When you ditch processed foods in favor of healthier ones, you often significantly reduce your sodium intake.
3. To increase sodium intake on low-carb diets or when fasting, both of which cause rapid sodium loss because they minimize insulin, while also minimizing sodium consumption from food.
4. To help people increase their baseline sodium intake as needed.

To dial in your intake, you can check out our Sodium Intake Calculator for an estimate of your sodium needs, get friendly with the salt shaker and salty foods, and use LMNT to help fill in any gaps. Then listen to your body and calibrate accordingly. You’ll feel the difference when you get it right.

Potassium in LMNT

Each stick pack of LMNT contains 200 mg of potassium, which is ⅕ of LMNT’s sodium content (1 gram). This 5:1 sodium-to-potassium ratio is important — let’s geek out on why now.

The sodium-potassium pump is a life-sustaining protein pump in our neurons’ cell membranes. For every 3 sodium ions it releases, it takes in 2 potassium ions — a process which enables everything from muscle contraction to neuronal firing. To help these pumps function properly, our total sodium and potassium intake should reflect this 3:2 ratio.

So why is LMNT a 5:1 sodium-to-potassium ratio vs. a 3:2 ratio? Two reasons:

1. Active folks lose more sodium through sweat, and low-carbers and fasting folks lose more through urine.
2. People eating whole foods diets naturally consume less sodium.

Essentially, the extra sodium helps “make up” for these sodium deficits in the health-conscious community. To get enough potassium and support the sodium-potassium pump, consuming meat, avocados, dark leafy greens, fruit, potatoes, and other potassium-rich foods is a great place to start — and just like with sodium, the 200 mg of potassium in LMNT can help make up any shortfalls.

Magnesium in LMNT

Each stick pack of LMNT contains 60 mg of magnesium.

Magnesium is a crucial mineral. It aids in energy production, DNA repair, muscle synthesis, restful sleep, and many other things we care about. Up to 30% of the population may be magnesium-deficient, so getting enough magnesium can be an easy win for our collective health.

Similar to potassium and sodium, it’s smart to start with diet and eating magnesium-rich foods, and then leverage LMNT to fill in the rest.

Why Doesn’t LMNT Have Other Electrolytes?

There are seven electrolytes total — sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphate, and bicarbonate. LMNT contains sodium, potassium, and magnesium — it also contains chloride, in the form of sodium chloride (salt) and potassium chloride. Chloride’s almost always bound to sodium and performs similar functions; we don’t need to touch on that one. And our bodies make our own bicarbonate (cool, right?). That leaves calcium and phosphorus. Here’s why we left them out.

Why Doesn’t LMNT Have Calcium?

LMNT doesn’t contain calcium, partly because many people already get the RDA (about a gram) through a whole foods diet.

But some clinical evidence also suggests that calcium supplements increase soft tissue calcification in the arteries, among other places. This may increase heart disease risk. Some speculate that this effect is exacerbated by widespread vitamin D deficiency or could be mitigated by vitamin K2, but further research is required to determine whether or not this combination of nutrients could actually improve cardiovascular health.

We decided to keep LMNT’s formulation both simple and effective, and the science suggests it’s probably safer to get your 1 gram per day through diet.

Why Doesn’t LMNT Have Phosphorus?

We left out phosphorus (also called phosphate) from LMNT because phosphorus deficiency is extremely rare. Phosphorus is abundant in the food supply, and many folks already get more than enough.

What About Trace Minerals?

Trace minerals are minerals present in small amounts in the human body. Some are essential for proper function, while others scientists remain unsure about. Key trace minerals include iron, zinc, fluoride, selenium, copper, chromium, iodine, manganese, and molybdenum. We omitted these trace minerals from LMNT’s formula because they’re easily obtainable from other healthy foods. Let’s take a closer look at iodine, though.

Why doesn’t LMNT have iodine?

Iodine is difficult to get through diet, and it’s necessary for our bodies to produce thyroid hormones — chemical messengers that regulate calorie burn, body temperature, muscle contraction, and much more. Many table salts are fortified with iodine to help prevent widespread iodine deficiency.

We don’t include iodine in LMNT — not because we don’t think it’s important, but because we know that not everyone will benefit from iodized salt. For example, for folks who have a thyroid condition, getting extra iodine can make managing the disorder more challenging. Many other folks already get plenty of iodine through seafood, and even in otherwise healthy folks too much iodine can be problematic.

The Electrolytes In LMNT

We designed LMNT’s science-backed ratio to help folks get more of the sodium, potassium, and magnesium they need, while also omitting calcium, phosphorus, and trace minerals that may not work for everyone. We want healthful hydration to be an easy box to check on your path to health.

We also recognize that LMNT isn’t an option for everyone. That’s why we offer homemade electrolyte drink recipes so you can DIY your electrolytes, or even find the ratios that work best for you.

Stay Salty,

The LMNT Team