Drink this

For most amateur athletes, plain water is sufficient for hydration - high-sugar/highsodium sports drinks just aren't necessary, say researchers.

-  Jennifer Bowden

Question:

My teenage son eats a good diet and is involved in lots of different sports at school. But I'm concerned he drinks too many sports drinks. He takes them to school with lunch and drinks them with snacks at home. What do you think?

Answer:

Sports drinks are specifically designed to improve fluid intake, hydration and performance by delivering precise levels of carbohydrates and sodium. But do amateur athletes need them? And are they good for our health when we’re not taking part in competitive sports?

Studies have shown that being well-hydrated is beneficial to an athlete’s performance. Exercise leads to fluid losses, particularly through sweating, so hydration is needed to counteract this. If those lost fluids are not replaced, athletes can become dehydrated, and even a small degree of dehydration can affect their performance, worsening their endurance, power and strength. At its worst, dehydration can be a risk to life.

From a performance perspective, dehydration of 2-7% of body mass has been shown to affect endurance in cycling time trials. And give a thought to our national cricketers, who play for hours under the blazing summer sun. A study of elite Sri Lankan cricketers found that 85% of the fielders and bowlers were unable to maintain levels of speed and accuracy when dehydrated. Fielders suffered a sizeable reduction in speed and accuracy for overarm and sidearm throws, with sidearm-throwing accuracy dropping 22%, for example. Bowlers’ speeds also fell, and their accuracy decreased by 20%. The batsmen were mildly affected, running 2% slower when completing three runs, and that could be the difference between a run-out and a safe run.