Electrolytes, or ions, are the charged particles in body fluids that help transmit electrical impulses for proper

nerve, heart, and muscle function.1,2 The number of positive ions, called cations, and negative ions, called anions, is supposed to be equal. Water follows salt in the body, so a gain or loss in sodium results in a gain or loss in water. For instance, when you eat too much salt, the rise in serum osmolality triggers thirst and the release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) from the pituitary gland. Thirst leads you to drink, while ADH signals the kidneys to hang onto water.1,2 The opposite is also true: Low serum osmolality from too little salt stops thirst and inhibits ADH release, allowing more water to be excreted by the kidneys.2 the primary ions of electrolytes are sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), chloride (Cl), hydrogen phosphate (HPO42), and hydrogen carbonate (HCO3) Calcium and phosphorus. These two electrolytes are inversely related in the blood: When calcium levels are high, phosphorus levels are low, and vice versa. Sodium is the main electrolyte found in extracellular fluid and is involved in fluid balance and blood pressure control. All known higher lifeforms require a subtle and complex electrolyte balance between the intracellular and extracellular environment. In particular, the maintenance of precise osmotic gradients of electrolytes is important. Such gradients affect and regulate the hydration of the body as well as blood pH, and are critical for nerve and muscle function.Both muscle tissue and neurons are considered electric tissues of the body. Muscles and neurons are activated by electrolyte activity between the extracellular fluid or interstitial fluid, and intracellular fluid. Electrolytes may enter or leave the cell membrane through specialized protein structures embedded in the plasma membrane called ion channels. For example, muscle contraction is dependent upon the presence of calcium (Ca2+), sodium (Na+), and potassium (K+). In humans, electrolyte homeostasis (is the property of a system that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, relatively constant condition of properties such as temperature or pH) is regulated by hormones such as antidiuretic hormone, aldosterone and parathyroid hormone.Most homeostatic regulation is controlled by the release of hormones into the bloodstream.