I have found myself partaking in many more sporting
activities as the weather has warmed up.
Because of this, I have also found myself consuming a higher amount of
Sports Drinks to quench my thirst.
While sports drinks can replenish some fluids and minerals
to the body, they should be consumed with caution. Most sports drinks contain heavy sugar content and are
also quite acidic (pH 3-4), which may lead to dental erosion and
demineralization.
Frequent drinking during exercise is the best protection against net fluid
loss. But the
Stephan Curve also shows that frequent drinking (other
than water) prolongs the period of time that the pH within the mouth remains
below the critical value of 5.5. pH values fluctuate within the mouth
throughout the day.
When the value
drops below 5.5, demineralization occurs.
The longer it remains below 5.5, the greater the amount of
demineralization.
Also, this risk can
be compounded even more if saliva production is decreased, like it typically is
during heavy physical activity and dehydration.
Are sports drinks bad?
Not
necessarily, but steps should be taken to minimize their potential harm:
- Hydrate early. Drink plenty of water prior to
exercising in order to minimize dehydration
- Drink mostly water. Do not reach for a sports drink every
time you need to grab a couple sips to quench your thirst. Every time you sip on a sports drink,
the pH slips back below the crucial level.
- Swish with some water after
drinking a swig of sports drink.
This will at least rinse some of the sugar away and dilute the
acid.
- If you are going to drink a sports drink, then drink
it down in over a small period of time. Drinking 10 20oz
sports drinks over the course of a couple minutes is much less harmful to your teeth than
drinking a small cup of one over the course of an hour. How this makes sense.
