Another popular TikTok trend this summer is the recommendation to drink salt water to fix a range of health issues. Components of table salt — sodium and chloride — are electrolytes that help keep you hydrated. Drinking a glass of water with some salt can be beneficial if you’ve been working out in extreme heat and lost a lot of sweat.
But the recommendation to drink water with salt as a digestive or detoxifying aid, as TikTokers promote, should be taken with more than a grain of salt. Your kidneys and liver do a top-notch job of removing toxins from your body by flushing them out through urine. Consuming additional sodium doesn’t make the process more efficient.
“As a dietitian, I would only recommend drinking water with salt after you’ve exercised in extreme heat and lost a lot of sweat,” Frances Largeman-Roth, a registered dietitian from Brooklyn, New York, tells Today. “I also would avoid drinking it more than once a day.”
Largeman-Roth says that adding a little fruit juice, such as orange and watermelon, to a drink made with water and a pinch of salt is smart because the carbohydrates stimulate the absorption of sodium and water, both during and after exercise. She recommends adding one-sixteenth of a teaspoon to an eight to 12-ounce glass or bottle of water.
Another TikTok claim is that drinking water with salt in the morning helps optimize hydration and digestion.
“There’s really nothing magical about drinking it when you get up, but as with many things, like taking your vitamins or feeding the dog, you may be more likely to remember to sprinkle salt into your glass in the morning if you’re looking to make up for sodium lost during an intense workout,” says Largeman-Roth. “Drinking water with salt is unlikely to aid your digestion because you’re likely already getting enough salt through your food.”
According to Health, some experts do suggest that athletes and active people who lose electrolytes like sodium through sweat from high-intensity or long duration activities, add a little salt their water.
For instance, it can be beneficial for people who are competing in marathons, triathlons, or regularly completing high intensity workouts.
“Drinking salt water or a sports drink can help replenish those lost electrolytes, improve hydration, and potentially enhance performance,” says Danielle Crumble Smith, a registered dietitian from Boca Raton, Florida. Other experts say that people who are ill and lose a lot of fluid and electrolytes from blowing their nose, diarrhea or vomiting may also benefit from a salty beverage.
However, while water with salt may be helpful in these specific situations, it’s important to keep in mind that consuming too much sodium can lead to negative health consequences, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease and stroke, says Health.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that Americans consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily as part of a healthy diet. About 90% of people in the U.S. over the age two already consumes too much sodium.