Americans overdose on energy drinks, Gatorade

Americans overdose on energy drinks, Gatorade

The report also explains that in 2008, the National Federation of State High School Associations recommended water and sports drinks for rehydration but specifically recommended abstaining from energy drinks because of potential risks, benefit absences and potential pharmaceutical drug interaction problems.

The difficulty with classic sports drinks is that even though they replace "lost electrolytes and carbohydrates during sustained strenuous exercise (and prevent) dehydration," they also contain superfluous calories, additives and sugars that promote obesity and cause tooth decay. Moreover, their replenishment can be characteristic of a short-lived glucose rush, despite the fact that they're billed as electrolyte rejuvenators.

Electrolytes are ionic chemicals or minerals in your body's fluids that conduct electrical charges. The major bodily electrolytes are sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, magnesium, bicarbonate and sulfate. Maintaining a balance of electrolytes is critical because they affect your body's fluid levels, cellular activity and regeneration, muscular activity, blood acidity and other crucial organ processes.

When you excessively exercise or physically exert yourself, you lose electrolytes by sweating, particularly sodium and potassium. So they need to be replenished, but plain water will not replace those electrolytes – hence the reason sports drinks offer water with added sodium, potassium and chloride (sodium provides for better bodily fluid retention, and potassium works with sodium to maintain water balance in our bodies).

But remember that those additives are a few among others, such as artificial flavorings and colorings, sucralose (an artificial sweetener) and brominated vegetable oil, which is used (by Gatorade's own admittance) "to keep flavor oils evenly distributed in the water-based sports drink." So though sports drinks might offer a quick synthetic electrolyte fix, you also get all the additives and risks that accompany their consumption.

An article by nutrition specialists at Colorado State University Cooperative Extension concludes that "sport drinks are poor sources of potassium." The article explains: "Athletes also may need more potassium to replace that lost from muscle during exercise and the smaller amount lost in sweat. Low potassium can cause muscle cramping and cardiovascular irregularities. Eating foods high in potassium can prevent these symptoms. One cup of orange juice, a banana or a potato is sufficient to replace the potassium lost during one to two hours of hard exercise."

And if you want to provide yourself with a pre-workout catalyst of energy, the fact is that eating an orange or a banana (or any other potassium-rich fruit or vegetable) and a handful of nuts and drinking a glass of water or orange juice an hour before a workout will give you a surge of sustained energy to carry you through most vigorous exercise programs.

Dr. David L. Katz, internationally renowned authority on nutrition from the Yale School of Medicine, similarly recommends pre-workout energy derived from "whole grains and lean protein such as eggs and nuts. The grains will provide carbohydrates that your body can readily convert to energy. And the protein can be put to use repairing and building new muscle following your workout, while the high-calorie but healthy fats in the nuts will fill you up quickly with less bulk."

When in doubt, give nature a chance. Drink water to hydrate and rehydrate (including during exercise). Look to natural foods for energy during a workout and replenishing your expended electrolytes afterward. Go natural, and teach your kids to do the same.

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You can file this in "for what it's worth column."