Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Do Sports Drinks Make You More Sporty?


Sports drinks have become popular due to their sweet taste and people wanting to emulate famous athletes like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James who have become spokespersons for the drinks.
Athletes involved in extreme physical activity benefit from these sports drinks because they help replenish fluids and electrolytes lost when the body sweats.
However, sports drinks can be bad if they are regularly consumed as a beverage. The extra sugar and sodium building up instead of being used up can lead to weight gain. A study conducted by U.C. Berkeley researchers (see link below) found that inactive high-school students could gain around 13 pounds by consuming these drinks every day for a year.
Furthermore unless you’re exercising for 90 minutes or more, it’s best to drink water instead of sports drinks to remain hydrated.

For the link to the U.C. Berkeley study, go to: http://ucce1.ucdavis.edu/spotlight/sportsdrinks.shtml


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