Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Multiple image Sports drinks, also known as electrolyte drinks, are non-caffeinated functional beverages whose stated purpose is to help athletes replace water, electrolytes, and energy before, during and (especially) after training or competition.
The evidence is lacking pertaining to the efficacy of use of commercial sports drinks for sports and fitness performance.<ref name="Deborah Cohen 2012 e4737">Template:Cite journal</ref> Consuming too much or in unnecessary circumstances may hinder health or performance. The drinks, or some of their ingredients such as sugar, may not be suitable for certain conditions.<ref name="Deborah Cohen 2012 e4737"/>
CategoriesEdit
Sports drinks can be split into three major types:<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
- Isotonic sport drinks contain similar concentrations of salt and sugar as in the human body.
- Hypertonic sport drinks contain a higher concentration of salt and sugar than the human body.
- Hypotonic sport drinks contain a lower concentration of salt and sugar than the human body.
Most sports drinks are approximately isotonic, having between 4 and 5 heaped teaspoons of sugar per eight ounce (13 and 19 grams per 250ml) serving.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
RegulationEdit
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States does not differentiate between sports drinks and energy drinks.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In July 2024, the FDA revoked its authorization for the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO), which is a stabilizer for fruity and citrus-flavored food and beverages.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> BVO has been found to have potential negative consequences for human health.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2024, few beverages in the U.S. contained BVO, with many companies having phased out BVO in the 21st century, including PepsiCo with Gatorade in 2013, and Coca-Cola with Powerade in 2014.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> BVO was most commonly found in citrus-flavored drinks.
UsesEdit
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Athletes that are actively training lose water and electrolytes from their bodies by sweating and expending energy.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> People may choose to consume sports drinks for purposes of fluid replacement, carbohydrate loading, and nutrient supplementation.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Studies show that, contrary to popular belief, the consumption of an electrolyte-containing sports drink does not protect against hyponatremia (low sodium in the blood). This is likely due to the fact that the sodium content of these drinks is in the range of 20 to 30 meq/L.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
A stated purpose of sports drinks, which provide many calories of energy from sugars, is to improve performance and endurance. The potential benefits of sports drinks depends upon other factors including the quantity of the beverage ingested, the time it takes for the drink to be emptied from ones body, absorption time, and the carbohydrate type,<ref name="doi.org">Template:Cite journal</ref> although the same source states that "there is little evidence that any one sports drink is superior to any of the other beverages on the market.".<ref name="doi.org"/>
A 2019 meta-review found that "dairy milk may provide either comparable or superior recovery nutrition qualities with regards to muscle protein synthesis, glycogen replenishment, rehydration, and subsequent endurance exercise performance, when compared to non-nutritive, carbohydrate replacement, and (or) carbohydrate-electrolyte alternatives."<ref>Russo, Isabella, et al. "Systematic literature review: The effect of dairy milk on markers of recovery optimisation in response to endurance exercise." International Journal of Sports Science (2019): 69-85.</ref>
Controversies and Potential HarmEdit
Sports drinks are sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), with a recent study finding that sports drinks comprise approximately 26% of total SSB consumption in adolescents.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Potentially harmful health effectsEdit
Some potentially harmful health effects of drinking sports drinks without prolonged exercise include weight gain, diabetes and dental erosion.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> These drinks are high in calories and sugar which thereby can contribute towards an unhealthy diet.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Generally, commercial sports drinks contain two-thirds the amount of sugar found in a normal soda. Template:Source?
Energy drinks, which are often confused with sports drinks, usually contain high amount of caffeine among other dietary supplements. Often the concentration of caffeine is higher than found in soft drinks.<ref name="Macdonald 321–321">Template:Cite journal</ref> In moderate amounts, caffeine is not harmful and can provide various benefits regarding endurance; however, in large amounts this can have adverse effects.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Although energy drinks may contain various different dietary supplements, health studies have claimed that there is a lack of thorough labelling which means that consumers may not always be aware of what they are consuming.<ref name="Macdonald 321–321"/>
Sugar in AdolescentsEdit
High sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in children aged 8–14 results in an increased likelihood of obesity.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The sugar found in these sports drinks still exceeds the recommended amount of sugar in a day for a child.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Cardiometabolic HealthEdit
Epidemiological studies and clinical trials provide evidence that links sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and coronary heart disease, regardless of body weight. Efforts to reduce SSB consumption would continue to support better cardiometabolic health at both individual and population levels.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
HistoryEdit
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, athletes occasionally drank beer of low alcohol content to replenish water, minerals and energy in the body. As the water is boiled during the brewing process and thus sterilized, the beer was a safer option than water from an unknown source.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> However, studies suggest that even a low dose of ethanol decreases endurance performance: it inhibits liver glucose output during exercise, and also impairs psychomotor skills such as reaction time, hand-eye coordination and balance.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Since the first modern Olympics, fluid intake during sports have been much varied due to a lack of consensus in the scientific community pertaining to the use of sports drinks. In the early 1900s there was a widespread belief that consumption of fluids such as water during exercise was unnecessary.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> However, with the advancement of exercise physiology in 1923, the cardiovascular model of thermoregulation was researched by A.V. Hill.<ref name=":0" /> Based on this model, the consequences of water loss and the significance of fluid consumption was emphasized.<ref name=":0" />
Energy drinks and sports drinks first appeared in Europe and Asia in the 1960s as a response to demands for dietary supplements that would increase energy. Taisho Pharmaceuticals, a Japanese company, introduced Lipovitan D, one of the first energy drinks on the market in 1961.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> Since then, both energy drink and sports drinks have developed into a multibillion-dollar market.
Commercial marketEdit
The sports and energy drinks market is rapidly growing around the world. Sports drinks are included within the functional drinks market. Within the functional drinks category, sports and energy drinks account for the largest volume growth.<ref name=":1"/> These drinks have experienced exponential growth of more than 240% in the United States of America and around the world from the years 2004 to 2009.<ref name=":1" />
There have been a variety of different types of drinks introduced to the market over the years, many of which target young athletes.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
ExamplesEdit
Commercially available sports drinks include: Template:Div col
- 100plus
- 10-K Thirst Quencher
- Accelerade
- All Sport
- Aquarius
- Body Punch<ref name=Waterloo>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Bodyarmor
- Braketime<ref name=Waterloo/>
- ERG<ref name=Waterloo/>
- Exceed<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Gatorade
- Herbalife Template:Proper name
- Isostar
- Lucozade Sport
- Más+
- Mizone
- Muscle Milk
- Pocari Sweat
- Powerade
- Prime
- Quickick<ref name=Waterloo/>
- Runner's Aid<ref name=Waterloo/>
- Sportade<ref name=Waterloo/>
- Sqwincher
- Super Socco<ref name=Waterloo/>
- Vemma Thirst
- Vitamin Water
See alsoEdit
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