Sports Drinks vs Water
Is there more to hydration than water?
Do you use the ‘best' sports drink? How do you know it's the best? Do you even have a hydration strategy? Is it important to have one? Your typical sports drink these days spruik about being the complete package of carbohydrate and fluid availability but, should we be mixing the two?
When you start looking at physiology and how your small intestines work, this is where 90% of fluid absorption takes place. A true hydration solution will promote fluid going out of the gut and into the bloodstream increasing blood plasma. By adding extra carbohydrates or protein the function of the drink promotes fluid to do the opposite. No wonder people experience bloating, gassiness, stomach upset and GI distress, it seems counter intuitive to cram everything into one ultimate drink.
How did the sports drink industry come about? Back in the 60s a Florida football coach brainstormed ideas with a kidney specialist about ways to help his athletes that were suffering from the heat. Using a concoction of sugar, salt and potassium they found their solution and decided to take their product Gatorade to market. Only problem with their formula was the unpleasant taste so to make the solution more palatable they added an artificial sweetener, later resulting in the FDA deeming it unsafe and removing it from the shelf. Their answer was then to double the carbohydrate intake to maintain sweetness, thus the start of the drink industry becoming more about carbohydrate availability and not the function of hydration.
Now having a bit more of an understanding what do you think your drink should be targeting? Is your drink geared more towards palatability than osmolality? What kind of racing are you competing in and do you even need a sports drink? A one size fits all approach to hydration is faulty, differences in environment, sodium output, sweat loss or even race type can vary quite significantly between two athletes. Find a professional like a sports dietician to help you refine your ultimate hydration strategy.
Author – Head Coach Amanda Moore