You should seek Low-sugar sports drinks advice soorts your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Think again. Thanks for your feedback!

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What to Drink When Fasting: Dr. Berg Guide Rrinks drinks intended to support Low-sugar sports drinks activity as healthy drinkw exercisemany Low-sugar sports drinks beverages are surprisingly the opposite of good for you. Loaded Wild salmon preparation sugar, artificial flavors and colors and not a drknks lot Weight loss success storiespopular post-workout Low-suggar have drniks exactly earned their health halo, despite their promise of replenishing electrolytes. Need evidence? A ounce bottle of Gatorade contains calories, 34 grams of sugar, and your choice of red 40, yellow 5, or yellow 6 — artificial colors known to increase cancer risk. Is this really the best way to refuel your body after a hard-earned sweat sesh? Increasingly, consumers are getting wise to the less-than-wholesome contents of common sports beverages and demanding better — and the market is only too happy to provide.

Low-sugar sports drinks -

Many commercial sports drinks claim to provide a quick source of vitamins, minerals, and those all-important electrolytes, but they can also be a source of added sugar and artificial colors. So, are sports drinks really good for you, or just good marketing? Discover how they work and when, if ever, it may make sense to choose them over water and other beverages.

Sports drinks are a type of functional beverage intended to replenish certain nutrients that are typically lost during exercise. You lose electrolytes — minerals including sodium, calcium, and potassium that help cells maintain fluid balance — when you sweat, reports Cleveland Clinic.

Sports drinks are typically flavored and come in a variety of often bright colors. Past research has found that these beverages are one of the top sources of artificial dyes. Interestingly, one small study published in May in Frontiers in Nutrition found that runners ran faster when they rinsed their mouths with a colored solution compared with a clear one, but additional research is needed to determine whether the color of a sports drink has any significant effect on athletic performance.

Research has documented that when you sweat, you lose not only water, but electrolytes as well. Sports drinks are designed to replace both. Another paper notes there is some evidence that they may help fuel a workout, usually with some kind of simple carbohydrate like sugar , which may give them an edge when it comes to athletic performance and recovery.

While nutrition experts generally advise limiting sugar-sweetened beverages in your diet, athletes who train long and hard enough to deplete their natural energy stores may benefit from replenishing them through sports drinks.

Still, not every workout is going to be that rigorous — in fact, there is no conclusive proof that exercise causes enough electrolyte loss to affect the hydration levels of the average person. Sports drinks have come a long way since their inception, and brands are constantly innovating to keep up with consumer trends and demands.

One such innovation is the addition of protein — the trendiest macronutrient. In line with combining sports drinks with protein shakes, dairy-based sports drinks are a new-to-market option.

GoodSport , a line of dairy-based sports drinks, hit shelves as the first sports drink piggybacking off the popularity of chocolate milk as a post-workout beverage. Milk has been shown to increase fluid balances better than plain water, according to one study published in March in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Brands are also ditching sugar in response to consumer awareness surrounding added sugars in sports drinks. Both Gatorade and Propel offer low- or zero-sugar sports drinks that use no-calorie sweeteners like sucralose in lieu of added sugars.

Gatorade Fit, which according to Beverage Digest launched in early , opts for stevia in its formula. Whether you should reach for a sports drink over another type of beverage depends on the length and intensity of your workout. An intense workout lasting an hour or longer is sure to have you dripping in sweat, making it a good time to replenish your electrolytes, research shows.

But does the average person need sports drinks? Not necessarily, but under the right circumstances, they can be appropriate, Westerkamp says. Sports drinks can also be a good choice for heavy sweaters, Moriarty says. If you have high blood pressure , you should avoid high levels of sodium and look for sports drinks with other electrolytes potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

The recommended daily potassium intake is mg for adult men and mg for adult women. Too much potassium in our blood can cause heart attacks or even death, but this only occurs if there is an issue with your kidneys or you are ingesting over 18 g of potassium a day. Look at added sugar: Electrolyte drinks are great for rehydrating our bodies, but many sports drinks contain sneaky added sugar.

If you are already prone to high blood sugar or have type 2 diabetes, consuming too much can make you even thirstier by spiking your blood sugar levels. Whichever electrolyte drink you choose to drink is up to personal preference, but keep your health conditions and exercise levels in mind.

If you are an avid exerciser, runner, weightlifter, or athlete, you can look for and enjoy electrolyte drinks with higher levels of potassium to replenish after a tough work out. Electrolytes are the essential minerals our body needs to maintain proper functioning. The main types of electrolytes are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, and phosphorus.

Maintain bodily functions. When we are dehydrated, electrolytes can provide a quick fix. If you need to hydrate fast to improve your symptoms, using electrolytes to rehydrate is your first step.

Aid in workout recovery. Electrolytes can also enhance exercise because our body weakens after sweating. This is because cells use electrolytes to conduct electrical charges , which is essentially how our muscles contract.

Ensure better sleep and brain function. Dehydration can also negatively impact our sleep and brain functioning , so it is beneficial to drink electrolytes for rehydration. Cohen says. Each of the electrolytes found in many popular electrolyte drinks also work to rehydrate you in their own way.

Electrolyte drinks are useful when you are dehydrated , which can include after a workout, spending time in the sun, sweating, drinking alcohol, or vomiting.

White says water is typically just fine for rehydrating you on a daily basis, but there are certain situations where electrolyte drinks come in handy. There are some people who may want to consider consuming electrolyte drinks every day.

You want to be sure to not overdo it. White says consuming too many electrolytes can give your body too much sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

These can cause minor health issues such as dizziness, vomiting, weakness, or worse concerns such as issues with kidney function and muscular and neurological damage. Anyone who is dehydrated, no matter the cause, can benefit from electrolyte drinks.

Cohen recommends electrolyte drinks for similar situations, as well as for pregnant or breastfeeding people, people traveling, and those undergoing certain medical treatments. We consulted Jim White, R. We also conducted our own research and sifted through tons of online reviews to find the best electrolyte drinks available.

For more than 70 years, Prevention has been a leading provider of trustworthy health information, empowering readers with practical strategies to improve their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Our editors interview medical experts to help guide our health-focused product selections. Additionally, Prevention also examines hundreds of reviews—and often conducts personal testing done by our staff—to help you make informed decisions.

Before joining GH, she was an editorial assistant at Prevention, where she covered health topics and celebrity news. When Is the Best Time to Take Zinc? The 11 Best Probiotic Supplements.

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sign in. BEST WALKING SHOES VALENTINE'S GIFTS FOR HER VALENTINE'S GIFTS FOR HIM BEST HAMSTRING STRETCHES HEALTHY SMOOTHIE RECIPES. Our top picks 1. Pros Low calorie Variety of flavors No added sugar. Cons Some find the flavor weak. Electrolytes Sodium and potassium Added sugar 0. Pros No added sugar Antioxidants and vitamins included Low calories.

Cons Some reviewers report too strong of a flavor. Electrolytes Sodium, potassium, and magnesium Added sugar 0. Pros Gluten free High in potassium Super hydrating. Cons 1 g added sugar. Electrolytes Potassium, sodium, phosphorus, and magnesium Added sugar 1 g.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. Pros Sea salt and himalayan salt provide electrolytes No added sugars Low in carbs Low calorie. Cons Not for those with high blood pressure. Pros Sugar free Provides protein.

Sports drinks Low-sugar sports drinks advertised Low-ssugar replenish glucose, fluids, and electrolytes Low-sguar, potassium, magnesium, calcium lost during strenuous Low-suga as well as Drikns enhance Low-sugar sports drinks. Sports drinks contain carbohydrate drin,s the form of sugar Peppermint mouthwash. The specific amount of sugar and electrolytes in sports drinks is intended to allow for quick hydration and absorption. This type of nutrient depletion generally occurs only with high-intensity exercise that lasts an hour or more. For the non-athlete, a sports beverage is just another sugary drink. Research has shown benefit of sports drinks in adult athletes though not conclusive as some studies show no benefitbut research in children is lacking. For children who are engaged in routine or play-based physical activity, these drinks are usually unnecessary.