Printable Version

Water or Sports Drinks: Can Water Really Be Enhanced?

(Courtney Carpenter, MS) -- Although soft drink sales in the US fell in 2008 overall, flavored and enhanced water gained within the category in terms of cases sold by 8.3% and energy drinks gained by 9%. The soft drink category as a whole, which includes carbonated beverages, sports drinks and energy drinks, plus water, saw volume decline 2% in 2008 and four years worth of decline prior to that has returned sales volumes to 1997 levels (http://sportsbusinessdigest.com/athletes-and-the-continuing-rise-of-the-sports-drink/). Simply put, Americans are foregoing sodas, but buying into hydration hype that water is just not good enough for them.

Nutritionists are concerned that all the sports drinks, "the flavored and enhanced water," as the industry calls it, sabotage the goal of being properly hydrated precisely because of all the additions that companies claim will support you during exercise. The sugars, claimed to be "for energy," often supply several hundred calories per bottle. If one is trying to burn calories with exercise, drinking an extra two to four hundred for "instant energy" preempts burning any stored calories. Additionally, the rise in blood sugar that can occur while drinking these may promote calorie storage rather than calorie burning, especially if activity is light or nonexistent.

Adding sodium and potassium, often in a three or four to one ratio, flies in the face of what we know about common dietary intakes of sodium, potassium and the other electrolytes. NHANES, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a survey conducted by the National Institutes of Health, found in 2005-2006 that average sodium consumption for everyone age 2 and older was a whopping 3436 milligrams per day! The same report concluded that 2 of every 3 adult Americans were in a group who would benefit from 1500 milligrams of sodium per day or less.   Neither does it take a degree in biochemistry to know that salty foods make one thirsty! Health professionals caution that for most of the population the salt and sugar they consume in these drinks compel them to drink more as their bodies continue their "search" for water via thirst. Until one drinks plain water, the problems are compounded creating a vicious circle.

These facts invite discussion about the benefits of water and how it is different from sports drinks. Water supersedes every other drink we consume, because it is in each of our cells. In fact, nothing except air is really more important to our bodies than water. Even so, watch a commercial for any of these drinks and you may rapidly conclude that water is inadequate. Advertising reinforces a collective resistance to flavorless water by overstating the science underpinning hydration especially in its relationship to dietary intake. For example, electrolyte minerals including sodium, potassium, chloride and others are commonly found in food. Only prolonged exertion with less than adequate food intake will result in electrolyte mineral depletion and a need for repletion beyond just eating normally and drinking water. The unfortunate truth is that for everyone but competitive athletes, sports drinks are more calories, sugar and salt than one usually needs. Conversely, for competitive athletes who really need extra, those same drinks prove inadequate and athletes move on to higher quality nutritional supplements to counter electrolyte loss and optimize carbohydrate/sugar intake.

Hydration is the delicate balance of every solute in the body with water. Ultimately, consideration of the temperature and humidity, the duration of the event and one's previous intake of food and beverages helps maintain that balance. Drinking too much water, especially distilled, reverse osmosis or other deionized waters is a related pitfall as the market for “filtered,” flavored waters expands.   These mineral-free waters further dilute minerals in the tissues including potassium that effects muscle function throughout the body, including the heart. Check labels on bottled water and specifications on filters, to make sure that minerals you may be counting on have not been removed.

If all this were not enough cause for concern, preliminary studies suggest that the accompanying citric acid that gives the proper tartness to many fruit flavors used in these beverages may be hastening the dissolution of our tooth enamel.  Most of the major brand names in the sports drink category have pH values between 2.82 and 3.41 according to “The Potential for Acid Damage on Dentin from Sports Drinks,” a paper presented at the American Association for Dental Research annual conference in April, 2009 (http://iadr.confex.com/iadr/2009miami/webprogram/Paper115444.html). In comparison to tap water, which generally comes in just on one side or the other of neutral (pH = 7), the acidity of these sports drinks is significant. Bacteria get another boost when the low pH is paired with sugar to create a very favorable environment in the mouth for tooth decay.

One of the best ways to insure proper hydration when one needs it most is to strive to be properly hydrated every day.  As busy as we are, many of us put off drinking as a way to save time, but we do so at our peril. W. Larry Kenny, former president of the American College of Sports Medicine, emphasized the organization’s updated guidelines for proper hydration saying, "The clear and important health message should be that thirst alone is not the best indicator of dehydration or the body’s fluid needs."  (see www.ascm.org) Drinking water regularly during the day in advance of other beverages and at regular intervals as if it were medicine are two strategies that encourage balanced water consumption.

Adding natural flavoring ingredients such as mint leaves, lemon or lime wedges, cucumber slices or any number of other herbs can improve the "refreshment value," so to speak for those who are used to more tantalizing fare.  Another weaning technique for the sports drink die-hard is simply to water down the drink, so that less calories, salt and sugar are consumed over time.

Problems with high blood sugar or elevated blood pressure, as well as a need for weight loss, preclude choosing most "enhanced" beverages. Sugar and salt are not ever recommended for these health issues. Moderate physical effort does not change this, unless you have not eaten in 12 hours or more. Children playing sports on hot days with prolonged exertion do not necessarily need sports drinks either, since fruit, water and nuts or seeds can do just as good a job of supplying electrolytes, sugars and water with pre and post game snacking.

Talk with a nutrition or sports medicine professional when activity increases needs above what can be recovered with high quality food and water. If you are uncertain about what an activity may require, check with others who participate or go back to the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines to make sure you stay properly hydrated throughout the year. Start now and have a great, activity filled summer!