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are sports drinks bad for you?

Sports Drinks: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

 

Alright, endurance junkies, let’s get down to the brass tacks of hydration and performance. If you’ve ever wondered whether all those fancy fluids marketed at athletes are actually worth it, you’re in the right place. I’m here to cut through the nonsense and tell you exactly what works, what doesn’t, and what’s just a waste of your hard-earned cash. So grab a water bottle, and let’s dive in.

Simply To The Point

  • Under one hour of exercise? Stick to water.
  • One hour or more? You need a carbohydrate/electrolyte sports drink to maintain hydration and keep your blood sugar steady.
  • Avoid sports drinks full of just simple sugars – you want a blend of fast, medium, and slow-digesting carbs for sustained energy without the crash.
  • Thinking about downing an energy drink before a workout? Sure, but don’t make it your go-to hydration strategy.
  • Coconut water and alkaline water? Skip them. They’re overhyped, overpriced, and underdeliver.

Let’s start with the facts. The International Society of Sports Nutrition tells us that losing 2% or more of your body weight in sweat is enough to tank your performance. So for a 70-kg athlete, that’s a loss of just 1.4 kg. And if you lose more than 4%? You’re risking heat illness, heat stroke, and maybe worse. Bottom line: Hydration is crucial.

Athletes sweat anywhere from 0.5 to 2.0 liters per hour depending on conditions and intensity. That means you need to be drinking between 0.5 and 2 liters per hour during exercise to maintain balance. Ideally, aim to chug down 6-8 oz of cold water or a sports drink every 5 to 15 minutes. Don’t rely on thirst—by the time you feel it, you’re already behind the hydration curve. Also, train yourself to tolerate drinking more during workouts, especially in hotter conditions.

Now that we’ve got the basics out of the way, let’s dive into the fluids you’re choosing. We’ll break down the good, the bad, and yes, the ugly.

Fluid #1: Water

Water’s a no-brainer, right? It’s refreshing, easy on the stomach, and super accessible. If your workout’s under an hour, water’s your best friend. It also pairs well with gels or energy chews during longer efforts.

The Good: Water’s perfect for shorter sessions when you’ve got enough glycogen to carry you through.

The Bad: After that first hour, water alone isn’t going to cut it. Your glycogen stores deplete, and you need carbs to keep the engine running.

The Ugly: Overhydrating with water can lead to hyponatremia—when your blood’s sodium levels get diluted. Symptoms include nausea, confusion, fatigue, and in extreme cases, it can be fatal.

Fluid #2: Carbohydrate/Electrolyte Sports Drinks

These are your go-to for longer sessions, and they’ve been fine-tuned to keep you hydrated while also delivering the carbs you need to fuel performance. A good sports drink helps you maintain your blood glucose and electrolyte balance, which is especially important after an hour of hard effort.

The Good: The right sports drink gives you hydration, carbs, and electrolytes to keep the wheels turning and avoid hyponatremia.

The Bad: Most sports drinks are just glorified sugar water. Many use simple sugars, which might give you a quick boost but leave you with an energy crash and potential GI issues. Fructose is a notorious culprit for causing stomach sloshing.

The Ugly: Ah, maltodextrin—the cheap, gut-irritating, GMO-corn-derived polysaccharide that’s found in most sports drinks. Its glycemic index is sky-high, sometimes even higher than glucose. And while it’s marketed as a complex carb, your body basically processes it like sugar.

Fluid #3: Coconut Water

Oh boy, coconut water. It’s the trendy drink that’s supposed to be nature’s Gatorade, right? Loaded with electrolytes and touted as the key to smashing PRs. Except, it’s not.

The Good: It tastes pretty good, and that’s about it.

The Bad: Study after study shows that coconut water doesn’t hydrate you any better than plain water or a sports drink. Plus, it’s not uncommon for people to experience GI distress after downing it.

The Ugly: You’re wasting your money on a product that’s all hype and no bite. Save your cash for something that actually works.

Fluid #4: Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are marketed to give you that mental and physical boost, and sure, they’ve got caffeine and some other stuff that can improve focus and fight fatigue. But, they’re not the magic bullet some people think they are.

The Good: Caffeine can enhance performance, and most energy drinks are easy to drink.

The Bad: Like sports drinks, they’re usually loaded with simple sugars that cause a quick spike in blood glucose, followed by a crash.

The Ugly: Downing energy drinks for an entire workout is a terrible idea. One 16-ounce can might have 300 mg of caffeine, and you need to be drinking 16-24 ounces of fluid per hour to stay hydrated. Three hours in, and you’re approaching 900 mg of caffeine, which is borderline dangerous. Hello jitters, nausea, and maybe a trip to the ER.

Fluid #5: Alkalized Water

Oh man, where do I start? Alkaline water is the poster child for overhyped health trends. The idea is that drinking water with a higher pH will somehow balance out your body’s acidity. Spoiler: Your body is perfectly capable of regulating its own pH without your help.

The Good: You get to join the cool crowd of people who “alkalize.”

The Bad: It doesn’t improve endurance performance. Like, at all.

The Ugly: You might drop $700 on an overpriced water alkalizer that’s better suited as a kitchen counter decoration.

The Bottom Line

So, what’s the takeaway here? Hydration is critical, but not all fluids are created equal. Stick with water for shorter sessions, and once you cross that one-hour mark, grab a carbohydrate/electrolyte sports drink that’s designed to support your performance. Avoid the gimmicks like coconut water and alkaline water—they’re just not worth it. And energy drinks? Save them for pre-workout, but don’t rely on them to keep you going during your session.

Stay smart, stay hydrated, and keep crushing it.

 

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