• Minerals in the body that are electrically charged and play an important role in body processes, such as regulating fluid levels in the body. Examples include calcium and sodium.
  Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
  Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
• Substance that while in solution or its pure state will conduct an electric current by means of the movement of ions; in physiology, usually refers to compounds such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium which dissociate fluids into ions that conduct electric currents and that constitute the major force in controlling fluid balance within the body.
  CRISP Thesaurus
  National Institutes of Health, 2006
• Substances that dissociate into two or more ions, to some extent, in water. Solutions of electrolytes thus conduct an electric current and can be decomposed by it (ELECTROLYSIS). (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)
  NLM Medical Subject Headings
  U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
• Substances that ionize into anions and cations in body fluids. Electrolytes regulate nerve and muscle function and water distribution between cells, plasma, and interstitial fluid. Imbalances can cause serious physiologic effects, including seizures, cardiac arrhythmias and convulsions.
  NCI Thesaurus
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• Well over half of the body's weight is made up of water. Doctors think about the body's water as being restricted to various spaces, called fluid compartments. The three main compartments are�
  Merck Manuals
  Merck & Co., Inc., 2020