Monthly Health Feature

Sports Drinks: Are They Better than Water?

By Angela Hammer, UI Wellness Practicum Student Summer 2007

Feature Index

Sports drinks have been around for years claiming to enhance your game and endurance, but how do they stack up against a little old-fashioned H2O? Check out the comparisons below to decide what the best choice is for you.

Calories

One thing you need to be aware of if you consume sports drinks is the number of calories in the bottle. Of course water has none, so water is the better choice in this category. Most sports drinks have between 50 and 80 calories per 8 fl. oz. serving. Don’t be fooled though, there may be up to four servings per bottle. Drinking several bottles (or even one!) a day can add up to a lot of unnecessary calories.

Electrolytes

Sports drinks claim to replace needed electrolytes like sodium and potassium lost through sweat during exercise. However, unless you are doing very intense exercise for 90 minutes or longer, electrolyte replacement is not necessary. Sweat is made up of about 99% water and only 1% electrolytes so you do not lose enough sodium or potassium to cause an imbalance. In fact, drinking too many sports drinks can cause an imbalance in electrolytes because they are replaced faster than they are lost. Be conscious of how much sodium is in your favorite sports drink. For example, one bottle of Gatorade® Thirst Quencher has 20% of the daily value for sodium!

Experts recommend diluting sports drinks half and half with water to balance the electrolytes. Another alternative is to alternate drinking one bottle of water in between bottles of sports drinks.

Carbohydrates

Pay attention to the kinds of sugars that are put into sports drinks. A combination of sucrose, glucose, and fructose can be used. Drinks with only fructose as the sweetener can cause upset stomach, bloating, and diarrhea. Water is absorbed as quickly as these sweeteners and therefore is the better choice, considering it contains no sweeteners.

If you’re not doing intense exercise that causes a carbohydrate deficit (i.e. running a marathon, multiple basketball or soccer games in the heat, several hour bike ride), choose a drink that does not contain carbohydrates.

Drink	Calories	Sugar	Sodium
Sports Drink	50-80 per 8 oz.	14-19 g per 8 oz.	25-110 mg per 8 oz.
Water	0 g	0 g	0 g

Citric Acid

Research has shown that the citric acid found in sports drinks can erode your teeth with regular use. To reduce risk of erosion, drink sports drinks with a straw and don’t swish the liquid around your mouth. Again, water is the best choice as it contains no citric acid at all.

Hydration

The most important factor in sports and exercise performance is hydration. Since about 99% of sweat is water, dehydration can pose a big threat to endurance. It is very important to stay properly hydrated before, during, and after a work out. Drinking water is the best means of replacing what is lost. However, for some people water does not have enough flavor for adequate intake. If using a sports drink will help you to replace more water, then use it.

The bottom line is this: If sports drinks will get you to drink more, the extra calories and electrolytes may be worth it.

GATORADE THIRST QUENCHER®	POWERADE FRUIT PUNCH®
Note: The nutrition information on these labels is for one serving size- 8 fl. oz. Most bottles may contain up to four or more servings.