Replenish electrolytes after exercise! 2 Tips to Choose Sports Drinks Smartly

The advertisement "If you don't drink enough water after exercise, just drink a sports drink" is deeply rooted in people's minds, but is the reason why you drink sports drinks after exercise? Is it because they can replenish energy faster? Or is it just because the light sweet and sour taste of sports drinks can better stimulate the taste buds after exercise? On the other hand, are sports drinks really better than plain water? Let’s hear what the nutritionist says!

Plain water VS sports drink, which one is better to drink after exercise?

"Should I drink water or sports drinks after exercise?" has always been a question in the minds of sports enthusiasts. In recent years, with the increasing number of people engaging in sports and fitness, the relevant issue has finally been brought to the table, sparking heated discussions. Wen Zhaoming, a nutritionist at Daqian General Hospital, said that water and electrolytes may be lost during exercise, but whether you should drink water or sports drinks to replenish them after exercise depends on the "intensity of exercise". If the exercise is not very intense, you can just replenish water!

If the exercise is more intense, the loss of water and electrolytes in the body will be greater. In this case, in addition to replenishing water, you can also drink sports drinks directly. Sports drinks contain electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, which can help replenish the loss of electrolytes after intense exercise.

What are sports drinks? The Bureau of Standards has regulations!

According to the Republic of China National Standard CNS of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, "sports drinks are beverages that can regulate the body's electrolytes." The flavor can be adjusted with ingredients such as sugar, acid, salt, fruit and vegetable juice, and food additives, but they must meet the following conditions: "liquid with good flavor and no peculiar smell," a pH value between 2.5 and 3.8, no foreign inclusions or foreign matter, and certain concentration standards for related electrolytes.

The electrolyte concentration of sports drinks should be below 552 (unit: μg/mL) for sodium ions, below 195 for potassium ions, below 60 for calcium ions, below 24 for magnesium ions, below 639 for chloride ions, and below 190 for phosphate ions.

Sports drinks are classified as "hyper-osmotic", "iso-osmotic" and "hypo-osmotic" because they contain different proportions of fluid, electrolytes and carbohydrates.

Low sodium, low sugar, high osmotic pressure, how to choose sports drinks?

However, there are many types of sports drinks on the market, with features such as "low sodium", "low sugar", "high osmotic pressure", and "amino acid formula". How should we choose? Nutritionist Wen Zhaoming provides "2 purchasing tips" for reference!

Tip 1: Check the osmotic pressure.

Sports drinks are classified as "hyper-osmotic", "iso-osmotic" and "hypo-osmotic" because they contain different proportions of fluid, electrolytes and carbohydrates. Generally speaking, sports drinks with a glucose (carbohydrate) concentration of 8% or above can be classified as "high osmotic pressure sports drinks", those with a glucose concentration of 4% to 8% are "isosmotic pressure", and those with a glucose concentration below 4% or pure water are "low osmotic pressure".

Nutritionist Wen Zhaoming recommends that people who engage in high-intensity exercise can choose to supplement with high-osmotic pressure sports drinks, which can help quickly replenish the body's lost water and electrolytes, and also provide immediate sugar reserves. However, it should be noted that you should avoid guzzling the drink. The principle is to drink 100 to 150 ml each time and replenish it in small amounts multiple times to avoid burdening your body.

People who do not exercise enough or whose exercise intensity is not high should never drink high-osmotic pressure sports drinks directly. Instead of replenishing water, they will accelerate the loss of water in the body. Generally speaking, for people who do moderate to low-intensity exercise, it is recommended to supplement with isotonic sports drinks, which have an electrolyte ratio similar to that of the human body. For short-term, low-intensity exercise or general thirst quenching, it is recommended to choose "low-osmotic sports drinks" or plain water with low or no electrolytes.

When drinking sports drinks, avoid guzzling them. The principle is to drink 100 to 150 ml each time and replenish in small amounts multiple times.

Tip 2: Pay attention to what other additives are there?

Sugar, acid, salt, fruit and vegetable juices and food additives are all legal ingredients that can be used to adjust the flavor of sports drinks, but modern people often consume excessive sodium in their diets, so it is recommended to choose "low-sodium" sports drinks. The daily sodium intake for adults should not exceed 2400 mg.

As for the amount of sugar, as long as it does not exceed 10% of the total daily calories, people can choose the amount of sugar moderately according to the intensity of exercise, and it is not necessary to eat less sugar. As for amino acids, studies have shown that supplementing with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) during exercise may help improve central fatigue caused by exercise, prolong endurance exercise time and enhance exercise performance.