An Aid For Intensity
Are sports drinks healthy?
If tasked to bring drinks for their child’s football or soccer team, most parents know that bottles of plain old water will not be met with the same enthusiasm as sweet-tasting and brightly-colored sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade. But there is some question as to whether these drinks, which have less sugar than soda but obviously much more than water, are a smart choice for athletes. 
The answer depends on the intensity of the activity.
“Sports drinks do help athletes replace fluids and electrolytes that they’ve lost during high levels of competition,” says Brian Tuten, Manager of Sports Medicine at St. Joseph's/Candler. “We recommend them for any sport or conditioning lasting longer than an hour or so of continuous play.”
Time For Action
The sugar in sport drinks can serve a purpose beyond making them taste good.
“Longer periods of intense physical activity take a ton of carbohydrates and energy out of our players,” Tuten says. “A sports drink can replace the carbs that are lost during that kind of training.”
There is always room, however, for old-fashioned H2O.
“We encourage our athletes to replace fluids with water as well,” Tuten says. “For the first hour of any of our sports, we encourage the athletes to drink 6-10 ounces of water every 10 minutes. The longer and more intense the sport, the more you lose ATP.”
ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate, the energy currency in a person’s cells.
“At that point, replacing the carbohydrates becomes important to maintaining a high level of competition,” Tuten says. He has observed that the sweeter taste in sports drinks helps prevent athletes from taking in too few fluids.
“I feel like individuals will drink more sports drinks than water, given the choice,” Tuten says. “But you also have to look at each individual’s needs. For instance, athletes with diabetes definitely have different needs that have to be considered. There are some alternatives in sports drinks of most products that contain zero sugar. They can be offer fluids and electrolytes and still be more flavorful than water.”
When To Pass
If athletes are not engaged in high-intensity exercise for an hour or longer, then sports drinks are not the best choice, Tuten says. The sugar and sodium in the drinks will not offer any benefit, and could even be detrimental. For everyday thirst and low-intensity workouts, water can provide healthy hydration without the empty calories.
Tuten and his staff also encourage his students to eat a balanced diet and to avoid fast food.
“Diet plays a huge role in hydration,” Tuten says. “You need to have the vitamins and minerals needed to help get the fluids into the muscles and where they need to be.”
Many raw fruits and vegetables have high water content, so including them in your meals helps the body get a good portion of the water it needs throughout the day. Vegetables with the highest water content include cucumbers, tomatoes and celery. Fruits such as strawberries and watermelon contain more than 90 percent water content.
Read Between The Lines
Tuten encourages parents to check the labels of the drinks they are considering for their family.
“You want to stay away from caffeine,” he says.
New products known as hydration multipliers will often tout themselves as covering all the needs of an athlete, but Tuten warns players that they will need more water than what these products require.
“They have large amounts of vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates but you still need to increase your fluid intake for exercise and sports,” he says. “I encourage everyone to read the label before using these products and be well hydrated before you begin exercise.”
Tuten also serves as Director of Sports Medicine Operations at Benedictine Military School. He is continuously making sure his players are safe, healthy and hydrated. He is always on the lookout for symptoms such as muscle cramps, dizziness, headaches or a rapid heartbeat, which can be signs of dehydration.
Heavy sweating can also cause heat exhaustion, an excessive loss of water and salt that cause similar symptoms.
“Where we live, high temperatures don’t end in August,” Tuten says. “And neither does our attention to hydration and safety. We know what to look for and what precautions to take throughout the season. Our athletes are passionate about the game they’re playing, and we are equally passionate about keeping them healthy.
Does heat exhaustion mean a trip to the emergency room? Learn more in this issue's Ask A Magnet Nurse feature.