Gatorade was developed to replace crucial electrolytes and carbohydrates while hydrating at the same time. Water is the most logical form of hydration. However, sports drinks like Gatorade contain sugar and electrolytes like sodium and potassium.
Sports drinks can help replace what we lose during longer duration exercise, especially in the heat. This balance is essential for nerve, muscle, and brain functioning. An imbalance may lead to an electrolyte disorder. Electrolytes and carbohydrates help athletes refuel and rehydrate. This is what makes sports drinks popular.
Gatorade claims their product hydrates better than water because of these additional ingredients. Some research backs their claims. A report from the University of California at Berkeley says that sports drinks might be better than water for children and athletes who engage in prolonged, vigorous physical activity for more than one hour, especially in hot conditions. However, you should note that people exercising for less than 60 to 90 minutes may not need Gatorade to maintain or improve performance.
In fact, Berkeley researchers say the sugar in sports drinks may be contributing to the child obesity epidemic by increasing caloric intake. When consumed often, the sugar content of Gatorade can also contribute to tooth decay , especially in children.
The extra calories from a sports drink could contribute to weight gain. The extra sodium could increase the risk of high blood pressure over time. But sports drinks are actually good for athletes working out for longer than an hour or who are working out in extreme conditions like extreme heat.
My rule of thumb is generally after an hour, you want to kick in with a sports drink. But this rule varies based on the conditions and how much you sweat. Feeling dizzy, fatigued, headaches or rapid heartbeat can be signs of dehydration, which means you are probably lacking fluid and electrolytes. There are also some physical symptoms you can be aware of that signal you may need to hydrate with something more than water.
Muscle cramps often mean that you need more potassium. To prevent these symptoms from popping up in the first place, Rizzo recommends sipping a sports drink during exercise, and sipping a bit more after intense exercise. Many serious and elite runners use a powder to make their own, and many endorse Skratch Labs because they use a mixture of cane sugar and dextrose as the sugar [source].
Thanks to all that exposure and their commercial availability, the brightly colored drinks from these two powerhouse brands are often regarded as magic potions thought to speed up rehydration after an intense workout and improve your overall fitness and health.
While many people and experts view sports drinks as a healthy addition for anyone who exercises , just as many will tell you to stick to water. The main thing to keep in mind here is that you always need water, but you only sometimes need a sports drink.
You constantly lose water through waste urine, sweat and feces , as well as through respiration breathing and evaporation. You need to replenish all that water loss by drinking water throughout the day, lest you suffer the consequences of dehydration.
You only need a sports drink, though, when you've lost substantial minerals through sweat. Read more: The best water bottles in The best self-cleaning water bottles for tastier tap water in Sports drinks are essentially fortified and flavored water.
The main ingredients other than water in most sports drinks are electrolytes and carbohydrates, though some beverages include additional ingredients. Here's a look at some common sports drink ingredients and what their purpose is:. Whether sports drinks are good for you depends heavily on two factors: The exact beverage you're consuming and your individual dietary needs. It's not recommended for the general population to consume sugar-sweetened beverages. In fact, sugary drinks are cited as a leading source of sugar , which contributes heavily to the high obesity rate in the US.
Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages, including sports drinks, can lead to excess calorie intake and weight gain over time. To skirt that issue, many companies have developed low- or zero-calorie versions of their sports drinks, using artificial sweeteners to provide the taste without the calories.
Sports drinks also contain other ingredients that some consumers worry about, such as dyes and food additives. Powerade Fruit Punch, for example, contains "glycerol ester of rosin. While the FDA has approved this ingredient as a safe food additive , some people may wish to avoid ingredients like this. The bottom line: Water remains the most logical way to hydrate if you aren't active, but there is a place for both regular and low-calorie sports drinks.
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