It's the time of year when the sun is coming out and the weather is warming up, and lots of people are heading out to parks, sporting fields and gyms to do some exercise. They are also finding that all this exercise is making them thirsty, and many are reaching for sports drinks as a response.
What many people aren't aware of is the effects on the body of the high fructose corn syrup that is used in these drinks, combined with the high acidity.
High fructose levels have a number of effects on your body. The high carbohydrate levels have been shown to produce insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, high insulin levels, high triglycerides and hypertension. This means that excessive consumption of these drinks can lead to increased risk of stroke, heart disease and diabetes. Unused fructose is also stored as fat in your liver.
The high acidity levels in sports drinks can also have many effects. High acidity needs to be neutralised by your body. The way that your body does this is by taking calcium from your bones and magnesium from your muscles. This means that all the good work your exercise is doing for your bone density and your muscles might be undone by what you are drinking. High acidity can also lead to dissolving of your tooth enamel, especially as you work out more and your saliva production decreases. In fact sports drinks can be 30 times more erosive for your teeth than water.
Now bear in mind that there are some instances where these sports drinks are beneficial, such as if you are exercising at a high intensity for over an hour (think marathon runners). Then the extra carbohydrates in sports drinks will be beneficial for your body and your performance as they will help provide the energy required. But even in this instance, a diluted juice is probably a better option. As far as the much-talked-about electrolytes go, its really not necessary to replace lost sodium, potassium and other electrolytes during exercise unless you are doing an extreme event like an ultra marathon that lasts for several hours. If you are exercising for an hour or less then you simply can't go past plain old water to rehydrate your body, and a simple high carb snack like a piece of fruit is more than enough to replace any lost carbohydrates.
Dr Brett Hill's top 5 tips for optimum sports hydration
1. Drink 1L of water for every 25 kilos of body weight every day, and more if you have been doing lots of exercise.
2. Before starting the event, be prepared with an adequate amount of fluids and ensure that you are well hydrated with pure water.
3. When exercising for an hour or less, pure water is by far the best and healthiest option for hydration.
4. If you are exercising at a high intensity for longer than an hour, then a sports drink or some diluted juice may be beneficial to replace some of the lost carbs and nutrients.
5. If you are doing an extreme event that last for more than a few hours then a sports drink is a good idea to replace the lost electrolytes.
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