Mark groaned as he struggled to raise the barbell for an eighth rep.  He grimaced in frustration as he finished a second set and took a sip from his bottle of pure water.  He was still lifting the same weight as four weeks ago, even though he’d been working out coming to the gym three mornings each week before breakfast.  On the other side of the room, Heather was pounding out the miles on a treadmill.  She watched the screen in front of her count the calories she was burning while sipping a second bottle of Gatorade sports drink.  “I’m burning the fat now,” she thought.  “I’ll fit into my mother’s wedding dress, for sure.”  What’s wrong with this picture?

Both of these scenarios illustrate confusion about when a sports drink is beneficial: Mark should be drinking a sports drink rather than water.  Heather should be drinking pure water. Would you like me to explain?

Most athletes acknowledge that hydration is important.  But there is confusion about which fluid to hydrate with.  Some athletes have heard that water is as good as a sports drink.  Some have also heard that sports drinks can make you fat.  Both of these statements are true and false, depending on the situation.

Much of the nutritional guidance in the popular media is targeted to the general population.  Most people are sedentary or engage in only light exercise.  Their nutritional needs are very different from those of athletes in pursuit of peak performance.  As a friend of mine, Dr. Sam Smith,  would say, “athletes are like Ferraris and the rest of us are like Fords and Chevies.  Athletes need high octane fuel.”  The sports drink vs water decision is an excellent example of this dichotomy of recommendations.  Sports drinks can be very beneficial for elite endurance athletes.  Sports drinks are formulated to provide the fluid, energy, and minerals they need to sustain their athletic prowess.  For non-athletes, water is the best beverage and sports drinks are empty calories, very similar to fattening, sugary soft drinks (soda pop).

Gatorade was created in 1965 by a team of sports physiologists at the University of Florida.  The Gators football team was struggling to stay hydrated and energized during summer practices.  The original recipe used to ‘aid’ the ‘gators’ continues to be supported by more recent scientific research.  The physiologists knew that one liter (about one quart) is the maximum amount of water that most people can absorb in one hour while exercising.  Likewise, 60 grams of glucose is the maximum amount that could be absorbed in one hour.  So, Gatorade was formulated to contain 60 grams of glucose in one liter of water (6% glucose).  The athletes were advised to drink one liter per hour for maximum benefit.  This would provide the maximum amount of glucose and water the athletes’ bodies could accommodate.  The original formula also contained some sodium and potassium to replace these minerals that are lost in sweat.  These minerals (called electrolytes or salts) also serve to encourage water absorption by the body. 

Today, there are dozens of different sports drinks with a range of carbohydrate and mineral concentrations.  Some also have a variety of other components, such as caffeine, creatine, vitamins, and antioxidants.  The components of sports drinks will be evaluated in this article so you know what to look for.  But, first, I’d like to return to the question of when is a sports drink more beneficial than water.  And, when is pure water preferred.