Sports Drinks

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When I first started running, I was only going out for about 30-45 minutes. I asked around about hydration while running and learned that it only starts to matter once you go out for an hour or more. Well, as soon as my first six miler came up, I got my water bottle ready to go. At this point, water was fine. But as I started increasing my long runs, I started wondering not only about hydration, but also energy. So, I consulted my training book and, sure enough, there was a section of sports drinks. The author highly recommends them. Not only that, the author says to drink one before, during and after the run to stay hydrated, replenish carbohydrates and reduce the chance of injuries.

Thus, I went out to the supermarket on a quest to find a case of energy drinks. This wasn’t necessarily an easy task. I found myself facing a wall of various colors, shapes, labels and names of different kinds of “sports drinks.” Which is the right kind for me?

What is a sports drink? 

According to “Sports Drinks and Recovery Drinks” by Stan Reents, PharmD, there is no official definition of what a sports drink is. Yet, there are three specific ingredient categories that should be within a sports drink: water, electrolytes (sodium and others) and carbs (glucose, fructose, others.)

Why a sports drink over water?

There are several reasons. The very first reason to drink a fluid at all is to maintain optimum performance. Studies have now proved that not staying hydrated lowers decreases athletic ability. Now, turning to sports drinks vs water, water stops the sensation of thirst faster than any other fluid. Thus, an athlete may thinkthey are drinking enough, but they really aren’t. Sports drinks have sodium which keeps us thirsty and wanting to drink more. Second, drinking plain water and sweating a lot diminishes our sodium content. It is possible to get hyponatremia due to lack of sodium. In rare cases, people can die from this. Third, sports drinks have simple carbohydrates. The best being glucose or fructose. Plain and simply, carbs provide energy. Replenishing these during a run prevents us from running out of energy. 

What are the ideal characteristics of a sports drink?

Sodium: 110 – 220 mg per 8 fl. oz.

Carbohydrates: 6-8%, or 14.2 – 18.9 grams per 8 oz. (A greater amount of carbs than 8% may lead to stomach cramps and/or vomiting.)

The sports drink I purchased

At the store, I purchased an 8-pack of Powerade Mountain Blast. It came down to either Powerade or Gatorade. I opted for Powerade because the container seemed more fitting for the hand. Yet, that was before I learned about everything you read above. It turns out that my Powerade Mountain Blast has only 50 mg of sodium per 8 fl. oz. which is lower than the optimum range. Next time I go to the store I think I will opt for a different sports drink.