Why Sports Drinks Might Not Be Your Best Source Of Hydration This Summer

The battle between water and sports drinks, immortalized by Adam Sandler's stirring drama "The Waterboy", has raged for decades. Water is, of course, a reliable thirst-quencher — heck, the word "hydrate" comes from the Greek word for water. But when sports drink brands like Elvis Presley's favorite, Gatorade, boast about the power of their electrolytes, it's hard not to be drawn in, especially when it's promising a sweeter, more flavorful experience than plain ol' water. Still, be careful: not every sports drink is right for every situation. To understand why, Mashed talked to a few different nutrition experts, who explained when to reach for the Cool Blue Gatorade and (as is more often the case) when H₂O is your best bet.

With sports drinks, "electrolytes" are a potent buzzword, but you should be on the lookout for specific electrolytes that need replenishing. Tami Best, a nutritionist for Top Nutrition Coaching, suggests that you look for potassium and sodium in your sports drinks — after all, when you're sweating really intensely, those are the nutrients you end up losing. She also suggests looking for various sources of carbohydrates: "Selecting a drink that has a variety of carbohydrate sources helps to optimize the body's absorption and the muscle's utilization of the carbohydrates." That means you'll want drinks with different kinds of sugar, including sucrose and glucose. In short, it's a good idea to save sports drinks for when you're seriously working up a sweat doing arduous physical activity for an extended period of time.

But unless you're training for a marathon, or if your light morning jog takes you through Death Valley, you probably don't need what sports drinks will give you. Nutritionist Lena Bakovic, also of Top Nutrition Coaching, explained that "sport beverages are generally high in sugar content, providing calories sourced from simple sugars, which most people do not require." Joeleen Stocker, manager of nutrition services at Mount Nittany Medical Center, concurred. "For those involved in light to moderate physical activity or high-intensity exercise lasting 60 minutes or less, water remains the optimal choice for hydration."

Water has a number of benefits that sports drinks lack. Unlike with sugar-packed sports drinks, you can have water whether or not you have an underlying health condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. And unlike store-bought drinks like Gatorade, which have standardized flavors, you can zhuzh up your water any way you like, with lemon juice or with additives like Mio. If you really want to support Gatorade, you can even buy Gatorade Water —  we won't judge.

Static Media owns and operates both The Takeout and Mashed.