Originally, Gatorade was invented by Robert Cade in 1965 to help the University of Florida football team, the Gators, replenish electrolytes and carbohydrates players lost during intense exercise and practice; now the brand is widely-known. But do Gatorade and other power drinks really enhance athletic performance?
“Most sports burn a lot of sugar. And obviously, when you sweat, you’re losing isotonic fluid, so you need to replace those somehow. If you just drink water, you’re not really getting enough,” said strength and conditioning coach and chemistry teacher Michael Wu. “Sugar obviously helps replenish those carbohydrates stored in your muscle.”
In a 16 ounce bottle of Gatorade, there are 26 grams of sugar. According to the American Heart Association, the maximum amount of added sugars the average person should consume per day is 37.5 grams. Athletes burn a great deal of sugar while they are playing, but the amount of sugar in power drinks can have a negative effect.
“People say they’re really sugary and unhealthy to have, so if you drink it constantly, it may do more damage than good,” said senior track team member Mitchell Yee.
Freshman Phoebe Lin thinks that power drinks can potentially have the opposite effect of what they intend to do.
“When I’m exercising, I’m really thirsty, and water is really hydrating. But [with] sports drinks, I think because there’s so much sugar in it, it makes me [need to] drink more of it,” Lin said.
According to SugarScience, a team of scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, “Liquid sugar, such as in sodas, energy drinks and sports drinks, is the leading single source of added sugar in the American diet, representing 36% of the added sugar we consume.”
Due to the already high sugar content in the American diet, most coaches and nutritionists prefer that athletes don’t drink power drinks often. Shannon Turley, head strength and conditioning coach at Stanford, says that the most effective supplement that any athlete can take is water. She says athletes can perform most when they are hydrated with water instead of sugary drinks.
However, power drinks can have positive effects when consumed at the correct time.
“I would say the only times that I can properly justify a [power] drink is during competition or practice and immediately after. Otherwise, I think the best thing you can do is just drink pure water,” Wu said.
“I would say the only times that I can properly justify a [power] drink is during competition or practice and immediately after.”
Power drinks can also be helpful when an athlete needs a boost in recovery.
“I wouldn’t say it makes you play better, more like it keeps you in shape to perform,” Yee said. “It kept me in a good enough state to continue playing at a good level the whole game.”
Power drinks can be a beneficial source of energy when an athlete is in need of sugar, but can be bad for an athlete’s health when consumed daily. Athletes should be aware of the potential beneficial times to drink power drinks, such as during a game, immediately after or during practice, but on a daily basis, water is the better way to stay hydrated.
