Are Sports Drinks Safe for Your Child?

Every day, we are bombarded with advertisements for a plethora of sports drinks. Though Gatorade and Powerade overwhelmingly dominate the landscape, there are many more lesser known brands with similar compositions. As these drinks have been studied and their ingredients more closely looked at, health professionals have begun to warn consumers about their possible dangers and negative side effects. It turns out that they may not be the best choice of hydration in most situations and can be especially harmful to children.

What may surprise many is that one of the main culprits is an astounding amount of sugars and/or artificial sweeteners. One 32 oz bottle of a sports drink can contain as much as 200 calories, many of which come from up to 52g of sugar. That’s not far behind the amount found in soda pops such as Coca-Cola and well above the American Heart Association’s recommended daily allowance. 

Why so much? This amount of fast-burning sugar taken before and during the intense exertion of professional athletes and others doing lengthy high intensity activities - the individuals these drinks were initially designed for - can be necessary. However, for most this is overkill - especially when considering more than one will often be consumed. When used as simply a thirst quencher, these drinks can actually contribute to weight gain and increase the risk of diabetes. This is especially true in children. The inclusion of High Fructose Corn Syrup in many of these drinks exacerbates the problem. So then low-calorie sports drinks are the way to go, right? Not at all - these come with their own dangers.

Low calorie sports drinks are no less sweet than their counterparts (and often even more so) - this is due to the use of artificial sweeteners. Sucralose may be the most popular - it is many hundred times as sweet as natural sucrose and as the majority of it is not broken down by the body, it is non-caloric. That also means, however, that it does not provide any energy. Some studies have also shown sucralose to be linked with weight gain, to affect glycemic and insulin responses and to remove beneficial intestinal bacteria. Concerns about the possibly carcinogenic nature of other artificial sweeteners such as acesulfame potassium persist as well as research suggesting some may affect prenatal development.

Another ingredient of sports drinks that can have negative side effects is the artificial coloring that gives them their distinctive hues. Considered ‘food grade,’ they are cleared for use by the FDA. However, many European countries have banned a number of food dyes still used in the United States and certain dyes have been linked to hyperactive behavior in children, asthma and other allergies, insomnia, thyroid tumors, chromosomal damage and cancer.

Many other causes for concern have been raised about the make up of sports drinks. Their acidic nature throws the mouth’s pH balance off, with the acid destroying tooth enamel and contributing to dental erosion (Harvard Public School of Health). Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO), used solely to prevent separation of ingredients can negatively affect the thyroid and is banned in many countries across the world other than the United States. Monopotassium Phosphate, used as a potassium source, carries the risk of upsetting the calcium/phosphate balance which can over time result in weakened bones.

Quite simply, the consensus seems to be these sports drinks should be drank sparingly by those doing long sessions of very intense athletic training - and preferably, not at all. The advertised necessity to ‘prevent thirst’ by drinking large amounts of the sugary and additive-filled beverages before and during exercise is a fallacy.  If you believe you need an electrolyte booster, look into ones with natural ingredients and without added sugars. It may not taste like candy or be neon blue, but it’ll definitely be better for you!

Until next time, keep reaching for that healthy, happy life you deserve!

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With an estimated 75% of Americans dehydrated on a daily basis, contributing to countless physical ailments, proper hydration has never been more important. IDLife Hydrate delivers a carefully researched and designed formula of vital electrolytes, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins to assist in supporting cardiovascular health and providing nutrition for the body’s muscular and nervous systems.* Hydrate comes in two natural flavors: fruit punch and mango passion.

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Customized Supplementation vs. Buying Over the Counter

Perhaps the most important factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle is proper nutrition. The foremost way to do this is, of course, ensure that your are purchasing and preparing healthy foods rich in all necessary nutrients. However, busy schedules, budget constraints and a myriad of other reasons can make it difficult to ensure that you are always receiving all nutrients and in sufficient amounts.

Nutritional supplements are widely recognized as an effective way to augment one’s diet - either through single-nutrient supplements (Iron, Vitamin C etc.) or compound supplements like multivitamins. However, in order to ensure you supplementation is both yielding optimal results and is completely safe, matching your nutritional supplements with your lifestyle, medical conditions and any medications that you may take is extremely important. Previously considered an opulent luxury, a customized supplement plan based on standardized testing should be strongly considered as it is not only beneficial to your health but now affordable as well.

Regardless of our best intentions and attempts, it is not possible as laymen to accurately pinpoint where our nutritional shortcomings are and what appropriate supplement dosages should be. Attempting to do so and address deficiencies by purchasing over-the-counter supplements is often at best inefficient and at worst, dangerous. With incorrect assumptions on deficiencies, large sums can be spent on vitamins and other supplements that are providing no help whatsoever. And by ingesting incorrect doses of supplements, needed or not, we may actually make ourselves ill, in extreme cases causing damage to our bodies and increasing our risk of cancer [University of Colorado Cancer Center ].

This is where testing comes in. A comprehensive nutritional assessment in the form of a questionnaire designed by medical professionals is the first step. It covers basic information such as sex, age, weight/height etc. as well as medical history, medications currently and previously taken, lifestyle and activity levels, habits, nutritional and sleep patterns and any other information deemed pertinent. Always ensure that any such health assessment is certified as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ) compliant as this act protects the public from, among other things, health care fraud and privacy violations [Tennessee Department of Health]. Following this, the information is plugged into an algorithm that takes over 7500 peer reviewed, third party scientific studies to recommend a customized nutritional supplementation program that will be specific to the individual and construct a complete profile.  No more guessing.  The report can be downloaded and used to make lifestyle changes and your supplements can be ordered, if you choose, and come shipped to you in a convenient strip pack with your name on each pack for evening and morning dosing.  

Armed with this information, you can now be confident in what you are taking.  Not only does the plan specifically target the areas where you most need nutritional fortification, there is no danger of interaction with prescription medications or exacerbation of medical conditions. Often overlooked, but equally important is the removal of the risk of over supplementation - a very real hazard with certain nutrients.

A customized nutrition supplement plan helps ensure that the level of vitamins, minerals, and all other nutrients in our bodies are at an optimum level, that our organs and vital systems are being properly supported and regulated and that, quite simply, we are nutritionally as healthy as we can possibly be! 

Until next time keep reaching for that healthy, happy life you deserve!

ELLEN MAY
INTEGRATIVE NUTRITIONIST AND EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST


Take your FREE HIPAA compliant health assessment at: http://www.coachellen.idlife.com/IDNutrition