Sports Drinks – Do I really need them when I exercise?

Submitted by Lori Granich, a Registered Dietitian with the Midwest Bariatric Institute at Franciscan St. Margaret Health

Sports drinks make many claims such as “power enhancing” and “energy boosting” but what is really in these drinks? Food marketing has brought in millions of dollars with promises to enhance health and fitness levels. Sales have skyrocketed in recent years, particularly among youth. Let’s take a deeper look into these popular beverages to see if they are living up to the hype of their claims.

Sports drinks usually contain water, sugar, electrolytes and artificial flavors. They are marketed towards athletes but the everyday consumer has been adding them into their daily diet. Childhood obesity has been linked to these drinks because children are sipping them throughout the day which has resulted in an excess amount of calories consumed, mostly coming from sugar. Problems arise because kids and adults are adding more calories into their diets with these beverages, but are not exercising enough to burn them off.

Studies show that sports drinks are typically not necessary unless intense exercise is performed longer than 60 minutes. With intense and prolonged exercise, our muscles use carbohydrates for fuel. Our bodies lose stores of carbohydrate after 90 minutes of exercise and then turn to fat for fuel. Fat does not burn as efficiently as carbohydrates so athletes may notice a slowdown in their performance. With intense exercise, sports drinks can help replenish lost electrolytes and prevent dehydration while replacing carbohydrates for energy. The everyday exerciser can meet fluid requirements with water alone because they do not lose large amount of electrolytes during physical activity.