Sports beverages help athletes perform better and nothing else
A proposal that would allow manufacturers of sports drinks to make health claims has sparked a spat with a health lobby. It is a question of whether or not “sport drinks” can be considered healthy.
In the 1960s, sports drinks such as Powerade or Gatorade were developed in North America. They are primarily designed to aid athletes in improving their performance. It’s common to buy and consume sports drinks without having any sporting purpose in mind.
Public spat
Food Standards Australia New Zealand proposed to allow health claims for sports drinks beyond the current permissible limits. Manufacturers will have to self-substantiate the claims, so that their veracity won’t need to be independently checked.
The Obesity policy coalition has warned against this proposal, stating that the change would:
Popular sports drinks that contain nearly as much sugar per ounce as soft drinks can carry health claims. This could lead the public to believe they are healthier than water.
The chief executive of the Australian Beverages Council responded by claiming that there is significant evidence to support the benefits of sporting drinks and that manufacturers simply wanted to:
You can also take advantage of a lot of research and studies that are internationally recognized and which begin to explain some of the functional and detailed benefits of electrolytes and sport drinks.
What are the “functional benefits?”
Some people are lucky.
Sports drinks have been widely recognized for their performance benefits, not for their health benefits, for sports events lasting more than two hours such as triathlons, marathons or cycling.
According to research conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, sports drinks can help reduce fatigue during prolonged exercise. Since then, sports drinks have been used extensively with great success in “endurance-style” athletic events.
For example, a 600-millilitre Powerade bottle contains enough energy to do 30 minutes of walking, or 10-15 minutes of jogging. This much energy can be useful to someone who wants to improve their exercise performance. However, it is not helpful for those who don’t do much physical activity and already eat a regular diet.
These drinks are a great way to keep your muscles functioning during prolonged exercise. However, if you do not burn enough energy, then they will be just as sweetened as any other drink.
Sport drinks are better than water at replacing fluids. Dehydration can happen even without any strenuous activity, but it is more common during long-term competitive sports and in hot climates.
It’s true that the majority of fitness enthusiasts and people who exercise for health don’t perform as much or as intense an amount of exercise than athletes using sports drinks to increase stamina, avoid fatigue, or hydrate themselves.
Most people are in bad shape
Maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the main reasons why people exercise. To achieve this, you must balance the energy expenditure of physical activity and energy intake. Sports drinks can have a negative effect on weight loss if you don’t do any serious exercise.
Sugar is the main ingredient in sports drinks. If you drink them without exercising and eat your normal diet, they can lead to weight gain over time.
Drinking sports drinks or any other liquids with high sugar levels can have serious consequences on the dental health of athletes as well as non-athletes.
Sports drinks, originally designed for athletes, are now consumed by many people, including non-athletes, even though they are still intended for them. These drinks should probably only be consumed by those who are actively training for endurance sports. Labels that make claims about the health benefits of these products without any caveats could lead to misinformation.
