Many people have seen the Gatorade commercial with famous athletes working out and sweating the bright color of the sports drink they had consumed.
We all know that such a feat could not happen, but it sure makes us believe that a sports drink could maybe help us whack a tennis ball like Maria Sharapova, or sink a basketball like Dwyane Wade.
According to Gatorade, they continue to study new ways to help athletes improve performance by facilitating proper hydration and nutrition. Gatorade and other sports drinks such as Powerade, Propel and Vitamin Water have become staples for many athletes around the world. But do these drinks really help athletes after a strenuous workout?
According to John Carbone, a sports nutritionist at Eastern Michigan University, many of the claims that sports drinks boost energy are complete garbage.
“There is little science to support most of their claims, and even those that have a scientific basis tend to overreach beyond the scope of available studies,” he said.
Carbone has found a claim that states if you get prickly skin after drinking the product, it confirms successful DNA mutation. He claims that it is simply absurd for a drink to alter DNA, but if it did you should be worried.
Barry Popkin, director of the University of North Carolina’s Interdisciplinary Obesity Center, has done many studies on the difference between sports drinks and water.
Popkin told USA Today that water is the best choice for the average person during exercise, and that only a marathon runner or very long duration athlete needs sports drinks.
Carbone agrees that sports drinks are not the way to go and says that the type, intensity and duration of the activity should determine how to replenish your body. He also said every athlete should be properly hydrated during their workout.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a nonprofit academic medical center, water is all you need if you are planning to be active for only an hour or less, but if you plan on being out in the sun for longer than that or are exercising longer, they suggest trying a sports drink to provide you with sodium and potassium.
After a workout, Carbone said it’s very important to have a post-workout plan. He suggests drinking chocolate milk immediately after training or competition.
“Milk contains protein and its consumption post-exercise stimulates muscle-synthesis, providing a boost to net muscle protein balance,” Carbone said. “It also contains carbohydrates for energy and many important vitamins and electrolytes, making it a great post-exercise beverage.”
So before you grab a sports drink off the shelf of your local grocery store for your workout, rethink your options and maybe swap that Gatorade for a bottle of water. Also, consider drinking milk after your workout. You’ll find these options are healthier and won’t be a burden on your wallet.
