Dietitians of Canada
Sports drinks
When you exercise you produce heat,
which your body can help to control
through sweating.When you sweat it helps
cool your body but you can also lose water
and electrolytes (e.g. sodium). If sweat,
water and electrolytes are not replaced by
taking in enough fluids then you become
dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to
health issues such as heat exhaustion and
heat stroke. As little as 2 per cent
dehydration (e.g. a 1.4 kg (3 lb) loss for a
68 kg or 150 lb – individual) can hurt
your athletic performance.
Sports drinks are specially designed
to replace the sweat and electrolytes that
you lose in sweat and to provide energy in
the form of carbohydrate for active
muscles and the brain. They can benefit a
wide variety of athletes, including those:
• With very high sweat rates (1L/h or
more).
• Exercising either very hard or for a long
time (more than one hour) including
endurance and team sport athletes.
• Exercising in hot and humid conditions or
while wearing protective sports equipment
such as with hockey and football.
What Should I Look For in a Sports Drink?
• Water is the first and most important
ingredient.
• Make sure your sports drink is not
carbonated so that it is easy to drink and
doesn't make you feel full or bloated.
• Flavour may help you drink more fluids
compared to plain water; this is especially
true for children or teen athletes.
Sweat contains more than water. Have
you ever noticed a white powder on your
workout clothes or skin? That is the salt you
lose in sweat. The salt in sports drinks
improves hydration and may even help to
prevent muscle cramps in some individuals.
Sports drinks should contain at least
460 to 690 mg of sodium per litre although
ultra-endurance athletes or athletes prone
to cramping may require more.
Sugar improves the taste, helps you
drink more, keeps blood glucose from
dropping, and helps fuel active muscles and
the brain so that you can exercise longer and
harder. Consuming between 30-60 g of
carbohydrate per hour of activity can
improve endurance and high intensity
stop and go sport performance, prolong
time to exhaustion, improve power output
and delay fatigue.
Too much carbohydrate can upset your
stomach and hurt your performance. To
prevent stomach and intestinal upset be
sure your drink has no more than 80 g of
carbohydrate per L. Your body is able to
easily absorb anywhere from 30 to 80 g of
carbohydrate per litre. Note that juice, pop,
and energy drinks contain more than 100 g
of carbohydrate per L, so they are not good
for using during exercise.
Some research does suggest that
coconut water can be as effective as sports
drinks for rehydration (especially if the
coconut water is enriched with sodium), but
further study is needed. Coconut water is
often marketed to athletes as a more natural
alternative to typical sports drinks.
However, the nutrient content of coconut
water is highly variable and many products
often contain far less sodium and
carbohydrates, but significantly greater
amounts of potassium than sports drinks.
Coconut water may also not be suitable to
consume if you have a history of
hyperkalemia (high levels of potassium in
your blood).
Many different types of athletes can
benefit from the use of a sports drink that
contains carbohydrate and sodium to help
improve hydration and athletic
performance. It is always important to try a
sports drink in training first before using it
in competition. Competitive athletes should
consult a Registered Dietitian who
specializes in sports nutrition to help them
develop a hydration routine that meets their
individual needs.
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May 2016 - The HUB 7