What can you say about sodium in your ads and on your site?

The library supports 2 wordings for sodium; the strongest is “As part of a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink, helps maintain endurance performance during prolonged endurance exercise” (moderate, 20-50 mmol sodium per litre of drink a day). Avoid wording that names or implies a disease, a drug or a treatment, such as “Prevents or treats dehydration from diarrhea or vomiting”.

Reviewed 15 October 2026

Not legal advice. This guide shows the wording that published evidence supports at a daily dose, from the sources linked below; it is not a ruling on any claim. Your own product, its form and dose, and your own evidence still need to match the wording you use.

Supported wordings

What you can say.

Moderate evidenceWording 1

Claims Facts

“As part of a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink, helps maintain endurance performance during prolonged endurance exercise.”

Daily dose	20-50 mmol sodium per litre of drink a day
Support	Authorized in the EU after EFSA review for drinks of a set composition; no other listed source covers it.
Dose details	A concentration in the prepared drink, not a daily amount: 20-50 mmol of sodium per litre (460-1,150 mg per litre). The EU sets the whole formula: 80-350 kcal per litre from carbohydrates, at least 75% of that energy from high-glycaemic carbohydrates such as glucose, glucose polymers and sucrose, and an osmolality of 200-330 mOsm/kg water.
Form	A carbohydrate-electrolyte drink that meets the EU conditions; not sodium on its own
Source	Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, list of permitted health claims

Moderate evidenceWording 2

Claims Facts

“As part of a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink, helps the body absorb water during physical exercise.”

Daily dose	20-50 mmol sodium per litre of drink a day
Support	Authorized in the EU after EFSA review for drinks of a set composition; no other listed source covers it.
Dose details	A concentration in the prepared drink, not a daily amount: 20-50 mmol of sodium per litre (460-1,150 mg per litre). The EU sets the whole formula: 80-350 kcal per litre from carbohydrates, at least 75% of that energy from high-glycaemic carbohydrates such as glucose, glucose polymers and sucrose, and an osmolality of 200-330 mOsm/kg water.
Form	A carbohydrate-electrolyte drink that meets the EU conditions; not sodium on its own
Source	Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, list of permitted health claims

How strong the evidence is

Strong evidence: At least two listed sources support it independently at a comparable dose and form, and none disagrees.
Moderate evidence: One listed source supports it as an evidence-based use at that dose, and no listed source disagrees.
Limited evidence: The only support is traditional use, the sources disagree, or the source itself calls the evidence weak.

Wordings to avoid

What to leave out.

Claims Facts

Ingredient: Sodium

Wording to avoid	Reason
“Prevents or treats dehydration from diarrhea or vomiting”Names a disease state; Health Canada ties its oral rehydration uses to acute gastroenteritis (Canada only notes).	Disease
“Works like an IV drip, or IV-level hydration”Compares the product to intravenous fluids, a medical treatment.	Drug
“Prevents heat stroke”Names a medical emergency; no listed source supports it.	Disease

Disease: names or implies a disease. Drug: names a drug or presents the product as one. Treatment: promises to treat, cure or prevent a condition.

Sources

Where this comes from.

All ingredient guides

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