Electrolytes & Sports Drinks

I believe the world of sports drinks and electrolytes are important enough to merit a section on their own where they are not buried at the bottom a page with lots of content. Sports drinks are one of the great modern marketing successes. But they are more than a simple marketing ploy and do have value in an athlete's diet. Sports drinks give athletes a chance to replace several vital electrolytes that are lost in significant quantities through sweat. However, it is key to understand several properties a good sports drink has and when or how to use it properly.

Sports Drink Properties

Sports drinks provide a method for replacing key electrolytes or micronutrients known more commonly as minerals. While there are many electrolytes mentioned in marketing materials, sodium remains the key ingredient, having been shown to affect performance while being absorbed at a fast enough rate to improve performance during a workout. Many other micronutrients are touted on lables but absorption rates of these various ingredients differ greatly and their known benefit to an athlete during a workout or race remains uncertain. The largest benefit a sports drink provides is through replacing carbohydrates used as fuel during a workout (see prescription below for carb distribution in a sports drink serving) over 60+ minutes in duration.

Non-Essential or Problematic Ingredients

  1. Vitamins- not absorbed quickly enough
  2. Herbs- usually FDA unregulated stimulants
  3. Minerals- not lost at risk-factor rates during workouts
  4. Protein- best taken after workouts

Bottom Line on Sports Drinks

  • Sodium is only electrolyte lost at a rate that requires replacement DURING workouts of 60+ minutes
  • Most sports drinks are sold in packaging that contains several servings in one bottle
  • Carbohydrates found in sports drinks have positive benefits in proper balance

    • 13-18 grams of carbohydrate per 8 ounce serving

    • Too much slows absorption 
    • Too little creates lagging feeling
  • Some athletes gain a benefit from rinsing their mouths with an appropriate sports drink instead of ingesting a full serving during a hard work bout
  • Caffeine has been shown to create mixed side effects based on individuals
  • Most easy runs or shorter faster workouts will not require sports drinks if diet is appropriate
  • Post workout snacks or meals will replace most of the items lost through sweat and provide additional benefits without aggravating digestive system

References

Clark, Nancy. (2014). Nancy Clark's Sport Nutrition Guidebook (5th Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Eberle, S.G. (2014). Endurance Sports Nutrition (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics

Maughan, R. J., & Shirreffs, S. M. (2008). Development of individual hydration strategies for athletes. International journal of sport nutrition & exercise metabolism, 18(5).

Noakes, T.D. (1985). Temperature Regulation in Exercise, The Lore of Running (4th ed., pp 197-230). South Africa: Oxford University Press.

Peterson, J. A. (2004). Take Ten: Take-and-Save: 10 Nice-To-Know Facts About the Body's Need for Water and    Hydration. ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal,8(4), 44.

Riebl, S. K., & Davy, B. M. (2013). The Hydration Equation: Update on Water Balance and Cognitive Performance. ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, 17(6), 21-28.

Tam, N., & Noakes, T. D. (2013). The quantification of body fluid allostasis during exercise. Sports Medicine, 43(12), 1289-1299.