Are Sports Drinks Good for You?

Just like a car, the body needs fuel to run off of. If you are running, playing a sport, or getting a long hard workout you will need to fuel your body before hand. Carbohydrates are great fuel for these workouts, however, as these carbs are depleted through your workout, you will need to keep fueling. If you workout is lasting less than one hour...chances are you will not need to re-fuel during the workout. If you are working longer than one hour or in intense heat...its a good idea to sip on a sports drink.

Sports drinks: With their mix of water and carbohydrates, sports drinks are an excellent on-the-run source of fuel. For exercise lasting anywhere from 60 minutes to several hours, they significantly boost your endurance compared with plain water. (but don't forget they also come with extra calories, so if its unnecessary, skip the sports drink)


Most sports drinks offer a blend of carbohydrates such as the sugars sucrose, glucose, and fructose. A few beverages also add maltodextrin, a complex carbohydrate made of several different glucose units. New research suggests that the body can absorb more carbohydrates from sports drinks that offer a blend than from drinks that contain a single carbohydrate source. The researchers believe this is because the various sugars combined in these drinks can be absorbed via different routes.

Sports drinks also come with added electrolytes (the vital minerals we lose when we sweat). Sodium is the most important of these, as studies show that drinks with added sodium help maintain fluid balance in the body and also promote the uptake of fluid in your intestines. In plain English: You stay better hydrated when you drink beverages that contain sodium.

For optimum fueling: Stick with sports drinks that contain 13 to 19 grams of carbohydrate per 8 ounces. Drinks with higher carb concentrations hamper fluid absorption, and will give you that sloshing feeling in your stomach. Drinks with lower carb concentrations won't refuel your muscles fast enough.

Aim to drink 11/2 to 4 cups of sports drink per hour of exercise (the bigger you are and the faster you run, the more you need) to get both the fluid and carbohydrates required for endurance.