Sports Drinks

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.