Water versus Sports Drinks: Which is Better?

This has been one of the hottest summers on record and staying hydrated is extremely important when you are trying to beat the dog days of summer.  I get asked a lot of questions about the best way to stay hydrated; what should I be drinking, are sports drinks like Gatorade or PowerAde better to drink than water when it’s really hot.  The simple answer is no.  Unless you are an elite level athlete who has a team of scientist monitoring your fluid and electrolyte balances, you can pass on the sports drinks. 

Parents, if your kids are playing outside in the heat, give them popsicles and Kool-aid.  A little sugar isn’t going to hurt them and that’s the same thing that is in the popular sports drinks.  You can freeze bananas or give them watermelon, mango, or other juicy fruits.  This is not just for kids; you can do the same thing for yourself, as well.  Even with the heat, if you drink water consistently throughout the day and have some salty and sweet snacks, you should be ok. 

If you are participating in strenuous activities or sporting events lasting over 60 minutes, than it is ok to add in some sports drinks at a 2:1 water to sports drink ratio.  This is more important for activities that will cover multiple hours or multiple days; like soccer or baseball tournaments.  You do not have to have sports drinks though, you can still supplement with popsicles and snacks with the same effect. 

Sports drink companies do a very good job at marketing their products to make us think that we need them to perform at our optimum level, but quite frankly, the average person does not need them.  Sports drinks boast that they have electrolytes and that is what we need to perform at our highest level and I don’t disagree with their claims about the importance of electrolytes.  Electrolytes are in important component to our hydration status, but we don’t need to rely on sports drinks for them.  Sports drinks generally have 20-35 grams of sugar and while they do have some essential electrolytes like sodium and potassium, but we can get our essential electrolytes through what we eat without the large quantity of sugar.   

At the end of the day, drinking water and having some snacks throughout the day will be more beneficial than sports drinks from a hydration stand point and it is the more cost effective option.

By: Benjamin Davis, Rehab Trainer, DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan