February is American Heart Month. Much of the conversation will center on cholesterol numbers, long-term disease risk, and stern advice to "eat less salt." Here's what often gets missed: Your heart is an electrically-driven muscle that you use all day, every day. And electrolytes are a key part of how it does its job: - Sodium supports blood volume and the electrical signaling your heart needs to beat on cue. Too little can be problematic. Blanket recommendations don’t serve folks with individualized needs. - Potassium is essential for cardiac muscle contraction and maintaining normal heart rhythms. Higher intakes are linked to a lower risk of hypertension. - - Magnesium helps stabilize the heart rhythm and promotes relaxation of cardiac muscles. About 30% of the population is deficient, and this deficiency is linked to higher inflammation, a key driver of chronic disease. - Calcium helps blood vessels contract and expand to stabilize blood pressure. It's best obtained through food since studies show calcium supplements may increase cardiovascular risk. - Your heart is an active system with constant needs. It contracts roughly 100,000 times per day, driven by precise electrical signals that depend on electrolyte balance. When that balance is off, disrupted rhythms and changes in blood pressure can occur quickly.

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