The Effectiveness of Sports Drinks Compared to Water

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Recommended: sports drinks begin to provide an advantage over plain water for athletes when

Staying hydrated is one of the most important parts of physical activity. In Clinics of Sports Medicine, it explains that “Maintenance of water and electrolyte balance is important for sustaining cognitive and physical performance. Dehydration degrades morale and desire to work. Body water deficits of as little as 2% body weight can impair physical performance. Water deficits of 5% to 7% body weight are associated with headaches, dizziness, and apathy” (Latzka, Montain 1). To prevent dehydration and its effects a medical team created Gatorade for the University of Florida’s football team in 1965. Since then, there has been a large market of beverages to hydrate athletes and improve performance. In Sports and Energy Drinks: Answers for Fitness Professionals, it explains that the three main goals of sports drinks since they were created 40 years ago are: to prevent dehydration, replace electrolytes in sweat, and provide carbohydrates for use during exercise (Kravitz, Mayo par. 2-4). Do these sport drinks actually enhance performance and hydrate better then water? Sports drinks and water both have advantages and disadvantages in how well they are absorbed, what minerals they contain, their ability to boost energy, and how well they taste.

Water is great for hydration and moves rapidly through the blood stream, but without the necessary sodium, it does not absorb into working muscles as well as sports drinks. In Tomorrow’s Beverages Today, it states that,

“Quaff a sports drink on the run, and its vital fluids will get to your working muscles more quickly than if you were to drink an equal amount of plain water. This is because most sports drinks contain between 4 and 8 percent carbohydrate plus small amounts of sodium, which spee...

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...s Medicine. Natick, Massachusetts, United States: Clinics in Sports Medicine, 1999. MD Consult. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. .

Levin-Epstein, Amy . "Sports Drinks Vs. Water." Men's Fitness Magazine 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. .

Ward, M.S., R.D., Elizabeth M. "Sports Drinks: The Facts." Men's Fitness 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. .

Zelman, Kathleen M. "Drink Up for Sports and Fitness." Health and Fitness. WebMD weight loss clinic. WebMD, 2012. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. .

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