Sports Drinks vs. Water
Posted October 22nd, 2006 at 4:00 AM by Martha Jones
Section: Nutrition, Hydration
Drinks that contain salt and sugar are better than just plain water during exercise, unless you are also eating foods.
A study from the Medical College of Georgia shows that tennis players have lower body temperatures when they drink fluid with electrolytes and sugar, rather than just plain water (British Journal of Sports Medicine, May 2006). Higher body temperatures during exercise slow you down and tire you earlier.
More than 80 percent of the energy that supplies your muscles is lost as heat. Less than 20 percent drives your muscles. So during exercise, your heart has to cool your body by pumping hot blood from your muscles to your skin, as well as pumping oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. If you heart has difficulty serving both functions, it cannot pump enough hot blood from muscles and your temperature rises.
You do not have to take sports drinks to protect yourself from high body temperature. During exercise, you need energy, salt and water and your body doesn’t care how it gets these nutrients. Eating any salted food with water or any beverage you like will supply your body as efficiently as sports drinks.
This post is written by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D. and was originally published on his blog“Fitness and Health E-Zine” under the title “Should I drink water or a sports drink when I exercise?”.
Dr. Mirkin is board certified in Sports Medicine and has practiced for over 40 years. He has completed more than 40 marathons and was a talk show host of a nationally-syndicated radio program for about 25 years. For more articles by Dr. Mirkin, please check out: www.DrMirkin.com
Please also be advised that Dr. Mirkin’s opinions and the references cited are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
Picture from: [Poland Spring], [Gatorade]
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Tags: body temperature, dehydration, dr gabe mirkin, electrolytes, exercise, gatorade, hydration, oxygen rich blood, Poland Spring, salt, sports medicine
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The Final Sprint
Wow. Now that’s something I had no idea about. I’ve always simply drank ‘normal’ non flavored water when working out.
I have always seen bodybuilders and other athletes drink these juices when they were working out, I never pad any attention.
I guess I should try this out.
Great post.
Shane
November 24th, 2006 at 6:13 amThe only thing that is negative about most sports drinks is the high amounts of sugar that they have. As a former basketball player and runner there is a new drink called ZYM that I really like that tastes good but has little sugar. You should check it out:
www.gozym.com
brandon
December 13th, 2006 at 3:55 pm[…] Think that when it’s cold out you don’t need to drink as much water? Think again. It is just as important to stay hydrated in cold weather as it is in warm weather. You should drink water and/or your sports drinks before, during and after your workouts. Just because you’re not working out in warm temperatures and dripping with sweat as soon as you step out the door, does NOT mean that your body isn’t working just as hard. You need maintain proper hydration all year long! […]
December 18th, 2006 at 3:07 amGATORADE FITNESS WATER COMES IN A 16.9FL OZ BOTTLE. IT HAS 4G SUGAR AND 70MG SODIUM PER BOTTLE. DRINKING HIGH VOLUMES OF ELECTROLYTE FREE WATER CAN CAUSE HYPONATREMIA ALSO KNOWN AS WATER INTOXICATION. WHICH CAUSES A LOW BLOOD SODIUM CONCENTRATE. OVERHYDRATION CAN LEAD TO DEATH. MY SON IS IN THE ARMY AND ONE OF HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS DIED RECENTLY FROM OVER DRINKING WATER. USE YOUR HEAD AND LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. YOU WILL GET A DIZZY TYPE HEADACHE AS IF YOUR BRAIN IS GETTING WATER LOGGED…THIS IS BORDERLINE OVERHYDRATION. PASS THE WORD!!
March 26th, 2007 at 11:08 am