The dog days of summer are here, and hydration should be on the mind of anyone planning to spend time outdoors. On the most basic physical level, water is the most effective form of hydration.
“Water should be your primary method,” says Jessica Buschmann, sports medicine dietitian at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “A well-balanced diet, three meals and three snacks is a much better method of fueling than using sports drinks as a solution to your goals.”
Adults should be conscious of their energy and sports drink habits, not only for their own health, but also for the influence they have on their children.
“Parents drink Gatorade at games because it tastes better than water, but they’re empty calories,” Bushmann says. “You should focus more on water in a normal day. When it comes down to the direct principal of hydration, it all comes down to water. You don’t want your kids under-hydrating.”
To replenish the energy exerted in the heat, many turn to popular sports and energy drinks, but their claims of electrolyte replenishment and energetic boosts are also causes for concern. Before reaching into the refrigerator for a sports drink to quench thirst, one should know the optimal timing for consuming a drink such as Gatorade, All Sport or Powerade.
“These drinks, if used at all, shouldn’t be used until you’re 60 minutes (into) moderate to heavy exercise,” says Buschmann. “They should be used during the period of activity. That’s what they were intended for.”
One point often touted by sports drink companies is the use of electrolytes in their products. While the claim is true, the added potassium and sodium may be unnecessary.
“If you’re eating a (healthful) diet, you should be fine with electrolytes. Americans, especially, get enough sodium,” Buschmann says.
The key to keeping hydrated is to create a personal drinking schedule and keep to it each day.
“It’s hard to always remember to drink water. Sports drinks can be used appropriately to help make water palatable, but don’t try to hydrate with only (sports drinks), coffee or tea,” Buschmann says.
The caffeine associated with coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks poses a host of other health threats. Caffeine does not offer calories to fuel the body. The rush is the stimulant’s effect on the central nervous system
.
“I don’t recommend it for anyone because of that effect,” Buschmann says. “A cup of coffee has about 200 milligrams or less of caffeine, and if you’re not using it for sport (enhancement), that’s fine. It doesn’t guarantee increased performance, especially if your body isn’t used to it.”
Other adverse effects that can be caused by the use of energy drinks as a form of hydration include headaches, jitteriness and anxiety.
“I recommended a few athletes to stop using them because of increased level of anxiety before, during and after games,” Buschmann says. “They didn’t even realize it was the caffeine. They thought they were naturally anxious.”
Energy drinks and other performance-enhancing supplements have different regulations and standards compared to their food and pharmaceutical counterparts, which are monitored by the Food and Drug Administration.
“No one holds stimulants to these standards,” Buschmann says. “Only when a severely adverse reaction occurs do these products get pulled from the market.”
A study published in May 2014 by the University of Minnesota and Duke University found habitual consumption of caffeine-enhanced drinks is correlated with negative and, ironically, inactive lifestyles.
Among males in the study, weekly use of sports drinks corresponded to an additional one hour of TV time a week, and those males who consumed energy drinks each week were found to have spent an average of four additional hours playing video games.
According to a 2011 study by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, energy drinks offer no therapeutic benefits and pose a serious risk of adverse health effects in children and young adults. The study suggests a restriction on the availability and sale of energy drinks, sports drinks, artificially flavored water and soda in schools, while water should be provided free of charge.
Stephan Reed is an editorial associate. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
