Table of Contents
1) The promised benefits of sports drinks are often very hard to resist:
2) 21
3) million
4) litres
5) of
6) sports
7) drinks
8) were
9) downed
10) in
11) Australia
12) in
13) 2006

So we now know that Sports Drinks are not just a marketing gimmick, and can actually be beneficial for hydration and sports performance. The problem now is how to choose between the many varieties on the market.

sports_drinks_water_mainThe promised benefits of sports drinks are often very hard to resist:

* ”Gives you greater energy for a longer more effective performance.”

* “Perform at your peak for 10% longer.”

* ”Formulated to deliver what you need to play hard … Compete longer before fatigue.”

 

21

million

litres

of

sports

drinks

were

downed

in

Australia

in

2006

(The most recent data available) The majority of this is Gatorade (47%) and Powerade (40%)

 

Choice Magazine in 2008 conducted a study on 14 different sports drinks, comparing these drinks for differences in nutrients, sugar and sodium levels, and exercise levels required to burn off the extra energy provided by these drinks. We have condensed the results of this study to show 8 of the more common drinks consumed today, and the results of the Choice study are listed on the following page:

Results

 

Product

Nutrients per 600 mLMinutes of jogging fuelled per 600 ml
Brand (ranked by energy per 600 mL)

Energy (kJ)

Sugars (tsp)

Sodium as % max recommended daily intake

Boy 12 years

60 kg woman

70 kg man

Powerade Light Citrus Breeze

275

4

7

10

9

8

Gatorade Watermelon

606

9

12

21

21

18

Adams Ale Sport Orange

630

10

7

22

22

18

Gatorade Lemon Lime

631

9

12

22

22

18

Powerade Isotonic Wallabies Gold Rush

802

9

7

28

27

23

Powerade Energy Edge

804

9

13

29

27

24

Powerade Recovery Citrus

951

9

8

34

32

28

Red Bull

1152

16

21

41

39

34

(Choice Magazine, 7th August 2008)

Table notes

Bottle sizes and serve sizes vary so 600 mL (the most common bottle size) was used as a basis for comparison.

Minutes of jogging fuelled per 600 mL: Choice estimated for how long you’d have to jog to use the energy (kilojoules) supplied by 600 mL of sports drink for a young male athlete of 12 years, a woman weighing 60 kg or a man weighing 70 kg.

Red Bull is included for comparison, but is an ENERGY drink rather than a SPORTS drink. Energy drinks also contain high amounts of caffeine and lots of sugar, meaning they are definitely not recommended for rehydration purposes or for children.

As you can see from the table, most brands give you enough fuel for well over 20 minutes jogging. If you’re not exercising for that long, that’s sugar (and kilojoules) you don’t need.

 

What About Children?

A strong argument in under age sport is that children often arrive at sport under hydrated, and kids are far more likely to drink a Sports Drink in sufficient quantity than they are water. Whilst this is probably correct, keep in mind the following:

  1. Sports drinks are acidic and can erode dental enamel.
  2. The salt in sports drinks is very undesirable for children, particularly because their maximum recommended intake is relatively low.
  3. Energy drinks (such as Red Bull and “V”) are not recommended at all for children and should be taken with extreme care with adults.