Athletes are always encouraged to drink more water or to make sure they get enough electrolytes through the consumption of energy drinks in order to remain hydrated while on the field of play. But do their bodies actually need this source of nutrition, or can it function without it? According to Deborah Cohen, the rise of energy drinks is simply the "coupling of science with creative marketing" (Cohen). Many of the sports drinks loved today have scientific institutes that have worked to undermine the main homeostatic response to dehydration: thirst. In fact, many companies, like Gatorade, have staked claims that the thirst response is extremely inaccurate and is too slow for the athletes to recognize (Cohen). They also encourage athletes to use different self-assessments, such as the color of urine test, to determine whether they should hydrate, but then fail to mention that the most beneficial time to do this is in the early morning, not throughout the day (Cohen). To further elaborate on this spread of misinformation, these companies will mention certain diseases, such as hyponatraemia, that can come with exercise, but fail to mention that their drinks can be part of the problem. They advise against the failure to replace sodium lost in sweat or in the lack of sodium rich liquids but do not mention that it can be caused by an over consumption of liquids that include their energy drinks (Cohen).
Along with this, many of the scientists and institutions responsible for the research of athlete health are backed or have received donations from energy drink companies like Gatorade or even Coca-Cola (Cohen). For example, the American College of Sports Medicine produced guidelines on how to prevent and handle dehydration that encouraged athletes to "drink as much as tolerable" (Cohen). However, it was later found that this roundtable meeting was supported by Gatorade and that many of the authors that created the guidelines were financially supported by or tied to organizations like Gatorade and Coca-Cola (Cohen).
All in all, it has become a serious question as to whether energy drinks can truly be beneficial to an athlete or if they have simply become a marketing regime for companies like Gatorade. They will fail to mention the full truth about their products and the benefits or lack of benefits of their products in order to make more money off the backs of worried athletes, trainers, and coaches.
Cohen D. "The Truth About Sports Drinks" BMJ 2012; 345:e4737 doi:10.1136/bmj.e4737
Hi Katherine,
ReplyDeleteWhen referring to the idea of energy drinks I typically think of drinks like Monsters or Red Bull. These drinks contain stimuli such as sugar and/or caffeine which contribute to giving the body energy. I was a little confused when reading your claim but I realized you were arguing for drinks like gatorade which are mainly used for electrolyte balance. As you established, electrolytes are necessary for the body’s ability to keep from dehydrating but other ingredients are causing the body’s reaction of thirst. I do think the marketing of these companies has overloaded the use of these drinks, however, do you think with proper balancing it could be beneficial to high intensity athletes? I think the use of water and education behind water consumption needs to be refocused for the benefit of the athletes.
-Audrey
You mentioned different self-assessments to determine hydration that I myself have heard and been encouraged to use over the years as an athlete. I agree there are plenty of people out there and some literature stating to only drink water and not to overdo it on electrolytes, or on the contrary to have electrolytes every time you drink fluids during exercise. I found this article on PubMed: Fluids and hydration in prolonged endurance performance, stating how proper electrolyte balance is key and how underhydration and hyperhydration can have large effects on performance. How do you think we can find clear evidence and a nonbiased answer to the question of proper hydration for athletes? And if you did have this research, how would you then educate findings to the athletes that need this information?
ReplyDeleteVon Duvillard, S. P., Braun, W. A., Markofski, M., Beneke, R., & Leithäuser, R. (2004). Fluids and hydration in prolonged endurance performance. Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), 20(7-8), 651–656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2004.04.011