Electrolytes are substances that have a natural positive or negative electrical charge when dissolved in water. An adult's body is about 60% water, which means nearly every fluid and cell in your body contains electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals that are dissolved in the body’s fluids, water, and blood stream.

Understanding the Context

They have either positive or negative electric charges and help regulate the function of every organ in the body including the heart, muscles, bones, nerves, and brain. “Electrolytes are various essential minerals found in the blood, sweat and urine,” Wohlford says. The National Library of Medicine writes that some of the most common electrolytes in the body include bicarbonate, calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, potassium and sodium.