Sports Drinks Versus Water: What Young Athletes Should Drink

Sport drinks seem to have become a standard in the fitness world. With so many flavors and varieties available, each brand says that they are what athletes want and what athletes need to stay above the game. They contain essential nutrients that work to rejuvenate the body and increase energy. However, a recent study says that drinking sports drinks may not be as good as drinking water for young athletes. According to investigators, energy drinks can increase blood pressure and cause heart problems in children and adolescents. Energy drinks can be hailed by the marketing world, which makes people consider it as an essential drink for sports but should not be consumed without weighing the odds. Many people associate playing sports with sports drinks like they see from the professionals. However, most recreational athletes do not play with intensity or duration that would require hydration to come along with the extra sugar and salt.

Sports drinks can replace something lost during exercise but really need to be exercising for more than 45 minutes to an hour before considering it. Many children do not do enough to guarantee it.

Bad Effects of Sports Drinks

With rising childhood obesity rates, children chug sports drinks loaded with extra sugar is not recommended as they exercise, according to researchers. Sugar is the devil and hidden content in many foods seems to cause various health problems for children and adults.

Children and teenagers really should not use these drinks, water is still the best method of hydration. Young people who take sports drinks as a regular drink without physical activity are also at risk for gaining weight and tooth decay from added sugar. There are also energy drinks that some professional athletes use to increase performance and gaining competitive edge by providing them with caffeine and other stimulants to concentrate more and extend their attention span.

However, it is still not even recommended for adults and professional athletes. For kids and teenagers, energy drinks can be downright dangerous. Beverages that are not regulated may contain several portions of harmful products in a container and easily exceed the amount of caffeine and other stimulants that are considered safe. That can increase blood pressure and cause heart problems such as palpitations and arrhythmias, not to mention giving the user an upset stomach, headaches, and a general feeling of nervousness.

Advantages of Water

It does not say without reason that water is the most important fluid for our body. It has several miraculous properties that can benefit our system. It has been said that the focus should really be on the water and make sure that children are well hydrated during exercise. If you play half or forty-five minutes, you should take a water break and perhaps add fresh orange slices or a granola bar to add some sugar and/or protein at an appropriate level.

For recovery after training, normal chocolate milk works just as well, better than the fancy recovery drinks now on the market. Chocolate milk is the perfect combination of proteins, fat and carbohydrates that you want to return to your system.

Obviously, if weight loss is the goal of exercise, water still reigns as king. Or else, you may end up drinking more calories than burning during exercise.