Sport Hydration Drinks – Good? Bad? Waste of Money?
Dehydration in sport is caused when someone doesn’t consume enough water/fluids or as a result of losing fluids through sweat. Depending on the intensity of the physical activity some children are undertaking as well as the weather conditions will determine how high the risk is that a child may become dehydrated during their sport.
In general, most children undertaking junior sports will be able to achieve adequate hydration before, during and after their sports using water breaks during the game as well as following it.
For some children competing in high level sports or in high temperatures, they may struggle to replace all of the fluids they lose in these breaks and require some additional hydration options.
How can I tell if my child is dehydrated?
A tell-tale sign of inadequate hydration which commonly presents to us in clinic is children with frequent headaches and cramping in the 24-48 hours after playing competitive sports. Their energy levels may also be low and their urine might be quite dark and smelly (if they let you come in and look!).
What can I give my child to rehydrate them quickly?
When our children are young, we learn that to prevent dehydration, commonly after a gastro infection where they might be vomiting or have diarrhoea, to give them oral rehydration solutions (ORS), such as Hydralyte, Gastrolyte, Pedialyte etc. The ORS’s contain some sugar (to replace energy lost) as well as sodium and potassium (two two salts commonly found in sweat, vomit and diarrhoea – so these require replacement too, not just water). One of the keys to how these work so well, so quickly is that they are ISOTONIC. This means that the concentration of the sugars, salts and waters in the solution is the same as it is in our body and so is absorbed easily and quickly.
The ORS’s continue to be an excellent option for children following intensive sport, however, as children get older (and much cooler), the flavour and appearance of these solutions is much less palatable (they tend to have a weird salty after taste) and many of them will start to explore the sports drinks available in ready-to drink formats as a way to overcome this taste (and coolness) problem.
So.. what’s in a Sports Drink?
Besides the alarming amounts of food colouring and flavours, many of the standard sports drinks available contain large amounts of sugar (either in the form of sucrose (table sugar) or glucose (best form for immediate replacement of energy DURING exercise). Much like their oral rehydration solutions mentioned above, they also contain sodium and potassium. In recent years, many of them have started to add other micronutrients also such as Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6 and magnesium. Some even contain caffeine in alarmingly high concentrations!
Please note… NONE of the other micronutrients are necessary for hydration… only the water, glucose, sodium and potassium are really needed, the rest is just great marketing!
Most brands now also have a ‘sugar free’/’no added sugar’ version in their range too. These are really just electrolyte replacement (without replacing the energy needed for best recovery).
What are the best options to maintain hydration in a child undertaking high level physical activity?
Make sure your child has had plenty of fluids before their sport, during their sport and after their sport.
If wanting to use a ‘sports drink’, choose one which is isotonic (absorbs easiest in the body). These should only be used for sports lasting 60 minutes or more and should be consumed throughout the sport.
- Examples of isotonic drinks
o Hydralyte
o Gatorade
o Powerade
o Cup of milk (plain or flavoured milk is a great recovery drink – no artificial colours too!)