People have been particularly hyped about all things pickles this summer, and one hot new trend swirling around the internet is using the bright, briney solution as a potential hydration beverage.
“Pickle juice or brine can be beneficial for hydration because it contains sodium, comparable to some electrolyte replacements, and small amounts of potassium,” registered dietitian and sports dietetics specialist Maura Donovan says.
“These are key electrolytes that help maintain fluid balance in the body, especially after intense exercise or sweating,” Donovan explained. She noted that overloading on electrolytes can be harmful to some people depending on their health conditions.
Donovan dug further into the trend to explain how things like sodium and potassium work to help you stay hydrated.
“Sodium helps to promote fluid intake and fluid retention, which is a great benefit post-exercise or in hot weather,” she said. “Potassium, on the other hand, helps to balance sodium by way of the sodium-potassium pump in the muscles and plays a vital role in the proper functioning of skeletal and heart muscle.”
Consumers have long turned to tried and true hydration solutions from bottled beverages like Gatorade to pre-measured electrolyte powder sticks like Thorne that combines minerals to help support cellular hydration.
A small-scale study into the potential physical benefits of drinking pickle juice as athletic recovery, conducted by the researchers from North Dakota State University and Brigham Young University, published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in 2010, linked small volumes of pickle juice to a shorter duration of induced muscle cramps. The study, however, only involved a dozen male athletes and has not yet been replicated on a larger scale.