4 ChemMatters | OC TOBER/NOVEMBER 2017
www.acs.org/chemmatters
Sports Drinks, Energy Drinks, Low-Calorie Drinks...
Are They Safe?
SH
UTT
ER
ST
OCK
When exercising, many people consume a
variety of beverages—
such as sports drinks,
energy drinks, and low-calorie drinks—instead
of water. Are they a good
alternative to water to stay
hydrated, and are they safe
to consume?
What’s in sports
drinks?
Sports drinks contain
mainly water, sugar, salt,
and small amounts of fla-
vorings and colors. Sugar
in these drinks—labeled as
“carbs”—makes the drinks
taste better, but also helps
speed the absorption of
water by the intestines. Some
people feel a little queasy
when they consume pure
water too quickly after sweat-
ing a lot, and sugar can help
prevent this. The other main
ingredients in sports drinks
are electrolytes, mainly
sodium (Na+) and potassium
(K+), which are paired with a
variety of anions in the form
of soluble salts. Some brands
also include other cations
such as calcium (Ca2+) and
magnesium (Mg2+).
The amount of sugar in
sports drinks can be quite
high. A 12-ounce serving of
Gatorade® can contain as
many as 21 grams (g) of sugar.
This puts sports drinks in the
same category as soda when
it comes to sugary drinks.
Energy drinks
Energy drinks,
such as Red Bull®,
contain more
sugar than sports
drinks—37 g in one
can. Energy drinks may
also contain caffeine, gua-
rana, and taurine, all of which
are stimulants and should be
avoided by young people.
In a 2011 report, the Ameri-
can Academy of Pediat-
rics stated that
“energy
drinks are
never appro-
priate for
children or
adolescents.”
Stimulants act as
diuretics, which
means they encour-
age the excretion of water
by the body—this works
against an athlete’s attempt
to rehydrate.
How about
low-calorie
drinks?
Low-carb or low-
calorie sports drinks
contain sugar in the
form of glucose or fruc-
tose, as opposed to table
sugar, which is sucrose.
These drinks may also
contain synthesized sweet-
tasting substances sucra-
lose, acesulfame potassium,
or aspartame. These other
sweeteners are sweeter per
unit mass, which means
you can use less (for fewer
calories). Some artificial
sweeteners are not digested
and have no calories.
The bottom line
If you exercise heavily, you may want to consider one of these beverages, but know what you’re consuming and check the
ingredients list before you drink. In particular, look for the
amount of sugar, caffeine, and sweeteners, and learn about the recommended daily values. On the basis of what you’ve learned from this
article and your own research, which sports drinks, energy drinks, or
low-calorie drinks would you consume? Consider your level of exercise
and what you want to achieve from consuming these beverages.
Source: Facts about Low-Calorie
Sweeteners. Food Insight, Sept
17, 2014, (updated April 24
2017) http://www.foodinsight.org/
articles/facts-about-low-calorie-
sweeteners-0 (accessed Sept
2017).
According to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, which sets recommended daily
allowances of nutrients, no more than 10% of
a person’s daily calories should come from
added sugar. If an average adult consumes 2,000
calories, and each gram of sugar contributes 9 cal-
ories, then what is the daily limit of grams of added
sugar that an adult should not exceed?
FOR DISCUSSION By Raima Larter
