Liquid IV Review: The Missing Link to Hydration?

Staying sufficiently hydrated can be a big hurdle for athletes and gym-goers alike, no matter the time of year. Even mild fluid loss through sweat can eat into your performance and impact your health. While most people know that drinking water is a sure-fire way to stay hydrated, some may forget to replenish the important electrolytes that our bodies require. Those who do remember often turn to commercial sports drinks, many of which fail to provide enough electrolytes.

More recently, a number of electrolyte beverages have emerged on the market with the goal of boosting hydration for fitness-minded people. One such product, Liquid IV, uses a unique blend of minerals and glucose to enhance fluid uptake into the bloodstream, and is said to provide exponentially better hydration than water alone.

Here the ACTIVE Reviews Team provides an in-depth Liquid IV review, taking a closer look at how it works, the ingredients it contains, and if it's right for you.

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What is Liquid IV?

Liquid IV is a sports nutrition product that is designed to hydrate you more rapidly than drinking water alone by using a blend of electrolytes and vitamins that may enhance fluid transport throughout the body. The brand uses something they call Cellular Transport Technology (CTT) which is a strategic combination of ingredients, said to expedite hydration to the bloodstream. In fact, they claim taking one packet of Liquid IV can provide the same hydration as 2-3 bottles of water.

The main CTT ingredients include:

• Sodium: An essential electrolyte in the body that when mixed with a precise amount of sugar can help promote the uptake of fluids into the bloodstream.(1)
• Potassium: Another essential electrolyte that serves as a regulator of fluid balance and supports nutrient transport in the bloodstream.(2)
• Glucose: While it also provides a sweet taste, the role of glucose in Liquid IV is to help promote fluid and solute uptake into the bloodstream in combination with sodium.(3)

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Liquid IV Ingredients

SPECS

• Ingredients: cane sugar, dextrose, citric acid, salt, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, dipotassium phosphate, silicon dioxide, rebaudioside-A (Stevia leaf extract), Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid), Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12

BUY: Liquid IV

How Does Liquid IV Work?

Liquid IV uses a precise blend of sodium, potassium, and glucose to promote more rapid fluid uptake into the bloodstream. In fact, their formula is based off of the World Health Organization's (WHO) rehydration formula used to provide rapid hydration to people in need during disaster relief. It works by providing a higher osmolarity (solute concentration) than water, which can help push fluid and electrolytes into our bloodstream and body cells.(4) Some of the Liquid IV products contain additional ingredients to promote energy, sleep, digestive health, and immunity for those looking for added benefits on top of hydration.

Liquid IV Pros and Cons

PROS

• Contains a sufficient amount of electrolytes to meet the needs of most athletes
• Available in a variety of appealing flavors
• Conveniently packaged in single serve sleeves, just mix it in your favorite water bottle and go
• All orders ship free
• Supplies five essential vitamins (B3, B5, B6, B12 and Vitamin C) in addition to the electrolytes
• Some Liquid IV products contain added ingredients to provide additional benefits such as enhancing sleep, energy production, digestive health, and immunity

CONS

• The cost can add up, though it's a bit more affordable when buying in bulk
• Only available to ship in the United States when buying from the manufacturer's website
• May contain too much sodium for those with high blood pressure who are sensitive to salt(5)
• Contains added sugars as part of the formula, making it not suitable for certain populations

Liquid IV Types and Flavors

Liquid IV comes in a variety of blends that contain strategic ingredients to enhance specific areas of health and performance. The original Hydration Multiplier comes in 15 tasty flavors, whereas the Energy, Immunity, Probiotic, and Sleep blends come in a single flavor that compliments their particular ingredients.

• Hydration Multiplier: Liquid IV's original formula contains three times as many electrolytes as most sports drinks.
• Sleep Multiplier: Sleep support blend that contains melatonin, L-theanine, and valerian root in addition to electrolytes to promote relaxation and quicker sleep onset.
• Energy Multiplier: Energy blend containing electrolytes, as well as L-theanine and 100mg of caffeine sourced from matcha to boost energy levels and focus.(6)
• Probiotic Kombucha Blend: Digestive health blend that includes powdered kombucha containing one billion CFU (colony forming units) of probiotics per serving, in addition to their standard electrolyte formula.

BUY: Liquid IV

Who Should Use Liquid IV?

Liquid IV is a powerful hydration tool that can help replenish your water needs, optimize your bodily systems, and provide all the necessary electrolytes even faster than water alone.(7) It's thought to be beneficial to everyone and anyone who needs to increase their liquid intake for the day, whether it's due to excessive sweating, athletic performance, pregnancy, or the simple inability to properly hydrate throughout the day.

It seems like more than three quarters of people go through their day at least mildly dehydrated, which can wreak havoc in the body.(8) Adequate hydration is important for all of the functions in the human body, from your immune system and hormonal balance to digestion and even energy levels. That's why Liquid IV can be used by anyone who is struggling to stay hydrated throughout the day.

That being said, there are some groups of people who should definitely pay more attention to their electrolyte and water levels as they're losing them at a much quicker pace. This includes people who live active lifestyles and participate in sports, those who have a higher sweat rate and tend to lose more liquid no matter what they do, those who live in warmer climates and spend a lot of time in unfavorable conditions, pregnant women, and those who have a medical condition that requires drinking more water throughout the day.(9)

Is Liquid IV Worth It?

As with all other supplements out there, Liquid IV is by no means necessary or crucial for your health and wellness. You can achieve the same result with smart nutrition and more careful water intake throughout the day, but it's definitely convenient, easy to take, and helps increase the rate of rehydration. This plays a role in very hot weather conditions or extreme athletic events where ensuring you're properly hydrated directly affects your performance as well as recovery.(10)

That being said, we do believe that Liquid IV is worth it, at least in these very extreme conditions. Preventing dehydration is important to help improve the function of your organs, tissues, and practically all cells in your body, so if you're struggling with carrying a water bottle with you at all times and keep on forgetting to add a pinch of salt to your beverage after a hot yoga session, Liquid IV is definitely a valuable hydration tool to have on standby.(11)

The only thing that's important to mention when it comes to supplements like these is don't rely on them. Use them as a tool to help improve your wellness, health, and overall performance, but try to use them sparingly. Focus on improving your lifestyle and dietary habits so that you're not constantly dehydrated or failing to include a variety of vitamins and minerals into your daily meals. Liquid IV should be used exactly as it's called: a supplement to an already nutritious and rich diet, not as a replacement.