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How Sports Drinks Stack Up: Healthy Athletes Beware

May 15, 2015

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Sports Drinks Versus Balanced Electrolytes For Hydration

According Dr. Gerald Olarsch, N.D., if there are too few trace-minerals in your hydration drink, the solution will be unable to form the proper electrolyte balance to enter the cells and maximize rehydration during exercise.

Sports Drinks Lack Balanced Electrolytes and Minerals Needed For Performance

Sports drinks commonly contain sodium and potassium, but they rarely offer the balance of electrolytes critical to proper bodily function during intensive periods of exercise. When a deficiency in the intake of trace minerals occurs, results consistently show an impairment of specific bodily functions. For example, a loss of certain minerals can cause dizzy spells or lightheadedness, especially during exertion in hot weather.

The proper complement of minerals, when taken daily, may help to provide the following benefits:

Promotes faster recovery from injury stress or strenuous exercise.
Heightens concentration and alertness and supports neurotransmitter function in the brain.
Increases oxygen uptake at the cellular level.
Dramatically boosts energy levels.
Strengthens the immune system.
Rapidly helps kill infectious bacteria, viruses, yeast, fungi, and parasites without harming beneficial microorganism.
Enhances uptake of vitamins, macro minerals, proteins and other essential nutrients from natural food sources or dietary supplements.
Helps to reestablish healthy pH levels.

Trace Minerals For Rehydrating During Exercise

Trace minerals occur in the body in tiny amounts, but they are a key constituent in maintaining homeostasis in the body, it works to keep your body in balance.

Beware Of Sports Drinks With Sugar And Preservatives

Sports Drinks Have Tried To Address The Hydration Market With Sugary Solutions

Sports drinks have tried to address the need for electrolyte replacement and have included carbohydrates for energy, but do you know what they are really putting into those drinks? Are they helping or hurting your athletic performance?

You have to be a dedicated label reader to know which ingredients in a food or drink product are beneficial to your body and which are harmful. Many ingredients in sports drinks come with a warning of health hazards if taken in quantity. Sugars and artificial sweeteners may be added as carbohydrates and include glucose, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, maltodextrin, and dextrose.

Sugars In High Quantities Are Difficult For The Body To Digest

Sugars in high quantities are not recommended for dieters or diabetics and may not be beneficial in electrolyte drinks because the added sugar need to be broken down by the digestive system thus delaying electrolyte absorption. GI-distress is a common occurrence among athletes who rely on sugar-heavy sports and energy formulas for hydration.

EnduroPacks vs. Gatorade: Essential Minerals Without The Sugar

More information about electrolytes and sports drinks is available in this free publication titled "Runners Guide To Electrolytes: Electrolyte and Carbohydrate Replacement" by Nina Anderson, SPN. Download a free copy here.