Young athletes should save their money and not spend it on sports drinks.
Sports specialists say that water is a far better bet for hydration for young athletes than are the drinks. Most youngsters don’t exert themselves at intensity or for a long enough time that requires the extra sugar and salt contained in sports drinks, said Matthew Silvis, M.D. director of primary care sports medicine at Penn State Health Medical Center.
“Sports drinks can replenish some of what you lost during exercise, but you really need to be exercising for more than 45 minutes to an hour before you would consider that,” he said.
Silvis noted that giving children sports drinks with extra sugar puts them at risk for weight gain and tooth decay.
Katie Gloyer, M.D. is a primary care sports medicine physician at Penn State Medical Group, in State College, Pennsylvania. She agreed that “kids and adolescents should not be using these drinks. Water is the best method of hydration.”
Also ill-advised are energy drinks that contain caffeine. These can raise blood pressure, cause heart palpitations and heart rhythm disorders.
