Hydration

Amazingly, up until 1969, athletes were discouraged from consuming fluids while running. It was thought that drinking fluids would impair athletic performance. Since then, hundreds of scientific studies have examined every aspect of these beverages on athletic performance. Today we know that athletic performance  falls as an athlete loses fluids (Armstrong LE, et al. 1985).

When Robert Cade, MD, invented Gatorade at the University of Florida, the goal was to find a better way to hydrate college athletes who were perspiring heavily in the hot Florida sun. But, despite their populatity, are (protein-free) sports drinks like “original” Gatorade any better than plain water? Currently, the prevailing opinion is that plain water is an adequate rehydration beverage for the average weekend warrior, if exercise last less than 60 minutes, and/or perspitation is not excessive.

However, it turns out that water by itself is not the best rehydration beverage during strenuous activities. Drinking plain water shuts down the sensation of thirst too quickly. Many athletes stop drinking too soon. When Puerto Rican soccer players were left to drink plain water on their own, they were still significantly dehydrated(Leiper JB, et al. 2001). A thirsty person drinks more fluid when the beverage contains sodium (and flavoring) compared to palin water.