Sports Drinks

 

Do they really help?

 

 

Sports drinks are designed to replenish the water, sodium and glucose that the body needs to maximize muscle function during exercise, and to speed up post-workout recovery.

Athletes worldwide use these products successfully to enhance performance but sadly, for most of us, all they do is enhance our waistlines. The average person simply doesn’t work hard enough to need the rapid refueling that these drinks offer.

Plain old water is still the best option for most of us but it’s also good to know what the others offer. The ingredients in all of them are pretty similar and include water, carbohydrates (sugar), sodium and potassium. Following are the pros and cons of a few for your consideration.

Electrolyte Drinks

This category includes Gatorade, Powerade, and other electrolyte fortified drinks. Their active ingredients help replace the water, energy (glucose), sodium and potassium that is lost during a strenuous workout.

Pros
Clinical studies show that electrolyte drinks improve physical performance and increase the length of time that an athlete can perform before reaching exhaustion. They supply the muscles with energy, water and electrolytes, which help prevent muscle cramping and delay dehydration. These same ingredients also speed post exercise recovery.

Cons
The extremely high levels of carbohydrates and salt in these drinks, by their very nature, are also their biggest downfall. A 600ml Gatorade or Powerade contains about 150 to 200 calories and 35 grams of sugar (nearly 9 teaspoons). For an elite athlete this amount of sugar, and the added calories, are not a problem but for the average exerciser, or someone training to lose weight, it’s could spell disaster. Even some athletes find the amount of carbohydrates in these drinks too high and complain of a sticky mouth and upset stomach.

In addition, drinks with a high sodium content should be reserved for intense workouts of 60 minutes or longer otherwise they provide too much salt for your system. There is an optimum level for electrolytes in the body and the same symptoms can be experienced from too much salt as from too little.

Enhanced Waters
This is now the biggest and fastest growing category of sports drinks. Vitaminwater is the perfect example of an enhanced water and is marketed to the health conscious in general. Some have very few calories while others are no better than a soft drink.  Most contain a token amount of vitamins and a few include sodium and/or potassium. Check the nutrition panel and ingredient list to know what you’re buying.

Pros
Because of their added flavouring, these drinks can help those with an aversion to water get their daily fluid intake and keep them hydrated during workouts. Enhanced waters with a reasonable amount of added vitamins can also help individuals top up their RDIs, particularly if they are restricting their calorie intake.

Cons
Although many enhanced waters sell themselves on their vitamin content, their claims have been questioned. Simply eating a piece of fruit will give you the same nutrients plus more. If you exercise hard, long or in hot temperatures, you may need sodium, which helps the body hold on to water. Enhanced waters don’t typically contain sodium. Or if they do, it’s usually less than what’s found in a traditional sports drink. A low-sodium drink could pose a problem for athletes.

Some enhanced waters distinguish themselves with endurance enhancing ingredients such as guarana seed extract and taurine. Sadly there isn’t much research to show that these ingredients have significant value to athletic performance, yet you’re paying for them. It’s also unclear as to whether or not enough of these ingredients are present to deliver a boost anyway.

Then there’s the added sugar and calories. Amounts vary considerably but 125 calories and 32.5 grams of sugar (8 teaspoons) in a 600ml bottle is not uncommon.

Coconut Water

Fitness fans are currently going nuts over coconut water. The clear juice from green coconuts has been rapidly gaining in popularity due to its natural origins and a healthy load of potassium and other electrolytes.

Pros
Unlike many sports drinks which contain artificial colors and flavours, coconut water is all natural. The water’s delicate aroma and light taste make it a refreshing drink with no side effects. Its nutrient content is perfect for an athlete’s performance needs and recovery, including potassium, magnesium, chloride, sodium and a small amount of natural sugar.

Cons
For athletes working at a high level of intensity, coconut water may not rehydrate the body as quickly as traditional sports drinks as its very light on sodium. One clinical trial compared the ability of plain water, a sports drink and coconut water to rehydrate athletes who exercised to the point of dehydration. Coconut water was better than plain water, but didn’t rehydrate the athletes as well the sports drink. However, when the researcher’s added sodium to coconut water, equal to what is found in a sports drink like Gatorade, the new coconut water rehydrated the athletes just as well. Both the plain and the sodium-enriched coconut waters caused less nausea and upset stomachs to the athletes than the sports drink or plain water.

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