Beverage companies advertise sports drinks as a healthy way to keep you well-hydrated. The truth is shocking. The ingredients in the sports drinks will not hydrate you and are actually detrimental to your health. A typical sports drink contains high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. It has two-thirds of the sugar content of soda, and is thirty times more erosive to your teeth.
Commercial fruit juices are also loaded with sugar. Read a label and you’ll be surprised at the amount of sugar content in them. Commercial fruit juices are pasteurized and their oxygen removed to help preserve them for a long time which makes them nutrient-dense. Store-bought juices with an expiration date of sixty days or more is a sign that they are heavily processed.
Athletes, particularly those involved in marathons and cycling tournaments, are predisposed to dehydration. The longer they exercise, the more they lose water in their bodies. While everyone is prone to dehydration, if not getting enough water, the highest risk are those people that engage in mountain climbing. The pressure in high altitude places makes the hikers lose more sweat and breathe harder. The increased gas exchange causes the body to lose more water vapor.
So forget the juices and sports drinks for hydration and stick to water. Your body will appreciate it.
