Features of sports drinks

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Sports drinks can be used by people who exercise intensely, especially if they sweat a lot. However, this is not the optimal type of water recommended for all subjects. For those who practice light intensity sports, it can be provided by other types of water as well as building a balanced and reasonable diet that also helps to stay hydrated and best enhance physical performance and performance. morale.

1. Sports drink and health

Some studies have shown the benefits of drinking water for athletes, although there is still no clear evidence in these studies. What's more, the benefits of exercise water for children are even rarer.
Children's sweat rate varies and is not the same, so it will be difficult to establish an exercise time along with the use of drinks that are useful for training.
Estimates show that sports drinks make up about 26% of all sugary drinks among teenagers. Sports drinks contain less sugar than sodas and energy drinks, but they still contain simple sugars. For example, a nutrition comparison shows that a 340-gram cola drink contains about 39 grams of sugar, compared with the 21 grams found in a popular sports drink. Drinking too much of these beverages, especially without vigorous exercise, can increase your risk of being overweight/obese and other health problems like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and gout. It also increases the risk of tooth decay.
A study that followed more than 4,100 women and 3,400 men for 7 years found that more frequently consumed sports drinks were associated with increased body mass index leading to overweight/fat obesity, especially in boys. The authors of this study cite the well-established evidence of sports celebrity drinks as a powerful influence on young male athletes. Beverages can also be considered healthy as they are allowed to be sold in schools and sporting events, and therefore can be consumed in excess.

2. The main ingredients in sports drinks

Water is the main ingredient in sports drinks. However, the composition of sports drinks also contains other substances including: carbs and electrolytes, which are believed to improve performance.
Carbs in sports drinks are usually in the form of sugars such as glucose, sucrose and fructose, but they can also be found in other forms.
Usually, in sports drinks, the carbohydrate content is about 6–8%. A 6% solution contains about 14 grams of carbs per 240 ml of liquid.
However, sports drinks are low or no carb in an attempt to appeal to people who want to provide water and electrolytes without the extra calories. Electrolytes, or minerals with an electrical charge, are essential for the normal functioning of your body. The main electrolytes found in sports drinks are sodium and potassium.
While many studies have been conducted on sports drinks, many people still question the results of these studies.

3. Benefits of sports drinks for athletes

The main ingredients of sports drinks include: water, carbs and electrolytes. All of these are important for different aspects of exercise performance.
Water and electrolytes are lost in sweat and it is important to replace them, especially when exercising for long periods of time.
The body stores carbs in the muscles and liver called glycogen, which is used for fuel during exercise.
Consuming carbs before or during exercise can help slow the rate at which the body depletes its carbohydrate stores.
Sports drinks are designed to provide these three key ingredients with the goal of improving exercise performance or recovery.

4. The necessity of sports drinks

Before deciding to use a sports drink, you should consult and consider a number of factors related to this drink to decide if a sports drink can be of benefit to you.

4.1. Type and intensity of exercise

First, consider your exercise routine, as well as the duration and intensity of your workouts.
While sports drinks can be beneficial for athletes participating in prolonged or intense training sessions, they are probably not necessary for most athletes. gym. If you do light to moderate exercise, such as walking or jogging, for less than an hour, you probably won't need a sports drink.
In case if you only do weight training, you may not need to use sports drinks, even if you spend more than an hour at the gym. Most of your time can be rested between sets, and weight training doesn't deplete your body of carbohydrate stores as much as resistance training.
When you decide to go for a sports drink, you should probably consume a smaller amount for exercise lasting less than an hour and no more than 30 grams of carbs for a 1-2 hour workout.

4.2. Can sports drinks affect weight loss?

For those trying to maintain weight or lose weight, an extremely important factor to consider is the balance of energy consumed and expended, or the balance between the number of calories you burn consume and burn. If you are trying to lose weight, then your body needs to respond to burning more calories in a day than it consumes.
At that time, sports drinks are not necessary for the type of exercise you are doing, consuming this type of water will provide an unnecessary amount of calories to the body and it will be a possible trigger. get in the way of your weight loss goals.
While sports drinks can help keep you hydrated, many other drinks can too. Water and sports drinks provide a similar amount of hydration, although the taste of sports drinks may cause some people to drink more.
Sports drinks are very popular among athletes and recreational exercisers, but there is controversy as to whether they are better than plain water. The main components of sports drinks are water, carbs, and electrolytes. The studies performed support their benefits for athletes and those performing long or intense exercise sessions. The recommended volume of water varies depending on the type of exercise. However, most of the subjects in the community did not exercise with enough intensity or for long enough to require sports drinks. And they can still use many other drinks that can provide water for the body, which are just as effective as sports drinks, including filtered water. If you choose to use sports drinks, be aware of their calorie content.
In general, sports drinks can be beneficial for very active individuals and athletes, but they are not necessary for most people.

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References: hsph.harvard.edu, healthline.com