Fact and Fiction

Let’s Talk About Sports Drinks

(Fact and Fiction)

By Koby Taylor, PharmD

You’re active, your children and/or grandchildren are active, the sun is hot, and a lot of physical energy is being spent doing the things you all love. Your first inclination for hydration is to pack the cooler with sports drinks. But is this the best choice?

We are bombarded with bright, colorful drinks in the refrigerator sections of gas stations and grocery stores. Your own refrigerator may have these cheerful liquids inside just waiting to be opened and consumed. Voilá, you’re hydrated!

Not so fast. Would you be surprised to learn that these drinks aren’t actually “hydrating” you very much? Since we have all become more diligent at checking the labels of the foods and beverages we buy, take a look at the ingredients of your favorite sports drink. It will commonly have at least one of these three ingredients: sugar, salt, and potassium. #1 Sugar

Fact: Sugar tastes good. Fiction: Sugar is needed for hydration.

Sugar is not hydrating. In fact, too much sugar, like consuming too much salt, can cause feelings of being dehydrated. Sugar can cause your blood sugar to elevate, and it can increase your heart rate. It can also cause an inflammatory response in your body, making you feel stiff and causing sore muscles.

When I read the label of a sports drink, I like to calculate the sugar from grams to teaspoons; it helps me visualize how much is in there. While you can do this using any calculator, just know this simple math: There are 4.2 grams to one teaspoon. To make it easy and quick, divide the number 4 into the number of grams of sugar on the label, and you’ve

got a good idea of how much sugar you are consuming. One of the most popular drinks on the market has 34 grams of sugar, which equates to 7.2 teaspoons for just one 16-ounce bottle!

Sure, sugar is a quick energy source, but most of these drinks aren’t using raw or unrefined sugar. They are using a cheaper ingredient called high fructose corn syrup. This ingredient has a way of making our bodies actually crave it. Sugar will beget more sugar. #2 Salt

Fact: Salt or sodium is needed for hydration. Fiction: Salt is the best and only mineral I should need for hydration.

Salt is a wonderful mineral for endurance athletes to help them retain precious water. But for the majority of active people and for children (to whom these sports drinks are highly marketed), their daily diet may already contain plenty of salt. Adding salt to sports drinks does help you retain the fluid you’ve just consumed, but too much salt in your drinks and in your diet could make you more thirsty and can cause swelling in your joints. #3 Potassium

Fact: Most people don’t know why potassium is important. Fiction: Potassium is irrelevant for hydration.

Here is where I think the rubber meets the road. Potassium is absolutely essential to proper hydration. Unfortunately, our most common sports drinks don’t contain enough of this vital mineral. In fact, most Americans are potassium deficient due to eating processed foods and not enough fresh fruits and vegetables. On average, if you aren’t someone who is contending with chronic kidney disease, the recommended daily intake of potassium is 3,500 to 4,700 milligrams. To put this into context, one banana, a common source for potassium, generally has 450 milligrams. That means you would need to eat ten bananas just to reach the recommended daily allowance.

Here’s why potassium is so important. Potassium is highly reactive in water. It also produces positively charged ions that help to conduct the electricity that flows through the body. Your heart, for example, beats because of electrical impulses.

That being said, overly high quantities of potassium can be very dangerous. So how do you know what’s right for you? Getting a comprehensive blood test and consulting with your doctor about your mineral levels is the best way. You can also examine your diet.

If you are someone who eats packaged and processed foods, chances are you are potassium deficient. If you are someone who suffers from muscle cramps, leg aches, and pain and have chronic headaches, you could be potassium deficient. Maybe you are someone who has food allergies to bananas and avocados (two great natural sources of potassium). You could be a candidate for a potassium supplement. Keep in mind that most daily multivitamins, while good for nutrient supplementation, still do not meet the recommended daily allowance for potassium. So What Should You Drink to Replenish Electrolytes?

Sometimes plain water isn’t enough. I know a lot of people who drink a gallon of water every day. While it’s good to have such a healthy habit, you could also be unknowingly flushing out your vital minerals, leaving you dehydrated.

First, let’s discern what electrolytes are and what their function is. Electrolytes are minerals, not sugar. These minerals serve different functions in the body, such as regulating electrical current and blood flow and aiding with muscle and tissue functions. Keep in mind that the body is 60 percent water. This is the first and most abundant resource you have to maintain balance in your system.

Common electrolyte minerals are calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Some natural resources that will replenish your electrolytes without the added sugar or dyes found in most sports drinks are: • Coconut water • Watermelon juice • Bananas and avocados • Leafy greens • Fresh, raw vegetables • Fruit smoothies • Milk • Holistic/natural mineral-infused water (containing sodium, potassium, and magnesium)

Here is one of my favorite recipes for a healthy sports drink:

2 cups coconut water (unsweetened or naturally sweet) 1/8 teaspoon finely ground pink Himalayan salt 1/2 cup of lemon juice Honey, to taste Add to a blender or shake vigorously until all the ingredients are combined well. Add your favorite fruit to turn this recipe into a delicious smoothie.

About the Author

Koby Taylor, PharmD, is the owner and pharmacist of Fusion Pharmacy. Working as a retail pharmacist early in his career, Koby began to see that pharmacy patients needed to have access to available alternative medications. He realized that pharmacy in its truest form is compounding, and he wanted to be able to provide patients with customized medications. He also desired more personalized interactions with patients in order to truly help their health and wellbeing. To fulfill his passion for improving the health of patients and educating them about compounding, Koby opened the doors of Fusion Pharmacy in 2013. Today, Fusion is nationally accredited with PCAB and NABP. It is licensed in and ships to 27 states. Fusion is proud to have two locations to better serve the southern Utah community. Koby graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in molecular biology in 1995 and from the University of Utah with his Doctorate of Pharmacy in 2000.

The Mouth-BodyConnection

A healthy mouth equals a healthy body! Most people will admit that this is not what comes to mind when they think of dental care, but your oral and overall health are very much connected and directly affect one another.

In 2000, the U.S. Surgeon General released this statement: “Oral health and general health should not be interpreted as separate entities…As the gateway of the body, the mouth senses and responds to the external world and at the same time reflects what is happening deep inside the body.”

Many people don’t know that diseases and medications have a direct effect on the mouth and that good oral health can increase general overall health. This is why it is important to be aware that there is a direct correlation to systemic disease and the health of the mouth. This is particularly true of periodontal or “gum” disease.

Heart Disease

It is not fully understood by doctors why heart and gum disease are linked together. Researchers have suggested the following possibilities: • Bacteria that infect the gums also travel to blood vessels elsewhere in the body where they cause damage. • The body’s immune response to a gum infection—inflammation— triggers vascular damage throughout the body. • The cause may be a third factor, unrelated to gum disease or cardiovascular disease, that is a risk factor to both conditions, such as smoking, poor health habits, or the inability to access proper health care.

While the exact nature of the cause-and-effect relationship remains unclear, studies suggest that there is definitely a statistically significant correlation between the two. One study published in the Journal of Periodontology stated that approximately 91 percent of patients with cardiovascular disease had moderate to severe periodontitis (gum disease) while only 66 percent of patients with a healthy cardiovascular system had periodontitis.

Cancer

It is known that chemotherapy and radiation treatments can cause mouth sores, sensitive gums, jaw and facial pain, and dry mouth. But here are some scary statistics that may surprise you: Researchers have discovered that men with gum disease were 54 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, 49 percent more likely to develop kidney cancer, and 30 percent more likely to develop blood cancers.

Diabetes

Did you know that up to 22 percent of all people diagnosed with diabetes also have periodontal disease, the disease that eats away your gums and bone? Because diabetics have a decreased ability to fight off infections, they are more likely to have periodontal disease. In a correlated manner, bacteria found in the mouth cause blood sugar to spike and destabilize, making diabetes harder to control.

Other Medical Conditions

Other conditions that have been linked to gum disease include stroke, kidney disease, osteoporosis, certain lung conditions, and rheumatoid arthritis. Pregnant women with gum disease are also at risk of complications with their pregnancy, such as preterm and lowbirth-weight babies.

A Healthy Mouth? That’s Up to You

The evidence and connection between oral and overall health is overwhelming, so watch for any of these signs that signal periodontal disease: swollen, red, or tender gums; gums that bleed easily; pus between the teeth and gums; bad breath; buildup of hard brown deposits along the gum line; loose teeth or teeth that are moving apart; changes in the way dental appliances fit.

Though there are many diseases of the mouth that are correlated with diseases in the body, it is comforting to know that dental diseases are usually easy to prevent, eliminate, or control when done with consistency and the help of your dental professional.

Many people don’t give their teeth and gums the care and attention they deserve. The American Dental Association recommends brushing teeth at least twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste for two minutes and flossing at least once a day. Flossing sweeps away the sticky film and food particles trapped between the teeth that can lead to plaque buildup. Additionally, a visit to your dentist for a check-up and teeth cleaning twice a year is highly recommended. Taking the time to care for your teeth and gums each day will not only improve your overall health but will lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Why Success Was a Good Choice for Me

About the Author By Charlotta TruscottIn 2018, I began a program, Success Academy, that Charlotta Truscott was born granted me the opportunity to graduate from high in Salt Lake City, Utah. As school with an associate degree, and I am so grateful part of a blended family, she is the daughter of Mark and I stuck with it to the end. Christine Albright and Tash Success Academy is an early college high and Mandy Truscott and is school that blends high school with the first the sister to seven siblings: two years of college. At Dixie State University, two biological, three step, and two half. She has lived in St. George, Utah, since 2008 and loves to call it her home. She the program is lottery based and accepts only a limited number of high school students per year. When I applied, I had mixed feelings: I really enjoys music, nature, reading, wanted to get in and hoped I would not make and hanging out with friends it. I was hesitant because I had people telling me that I and family. She graduated would regret my decision; I would miss out on having a from Dixie High School, “normal” high school experience. On the one hand, I had Success Academy, and Dixie State University in 2021, earning an Associate of Science degree. She plans on attending people telling me that they wished they would have taken the opportunity. I found myself nervous to the point where I finally had to tell myself, “There is nothing else Southern Utah University in you can do. If you get in, it is meant to be.” I was chosen Cedar City, Utah, in the fall. to attend, and after three years of hard work, endurance, and missing out, I do believe that it was meant to be.

Success Academy is definitely not for everyone. I can confirm that fact as only twenty-one of the thirty students in my class made it to graduation. The rest dropped out early on in the program. It is hard trying to balance all the aspects of life in high school, but adding full-on college classes to the mix makes it much harder. It’s because of this that I don’t blame anyone for choosing to leave the program.

There were multiple times where I found I was close to leaving as well. Because of the workload, Charlotta Truscott with friend, Baylie Emett. I wasn’t able to participate fully in all of the high school activities. There were multiple times when I had to choose to study instead of spending time with friends. I grew distant from a lot of my friends, but I found that the ones who really cared about me stayed around. I also had to stop doing some of the things I was interested in, like softball and theater. I must include that there were countless times when I cried from the stress. And let’s not forget the fact that I had to do half of all of this during a global pandemic. Even with all of these obstacles, I am still so thankful I endured.

Because I was able to push through, I am now two years ahead of my peers. I have saved thousands of dollars, and I can’t express how grateful I am for that. What is more, I only have two years of schooling left to get the degree and job I want. If I find that I do not enjoy the field of study I have chosen, I have more than enough time to explore other options.

In Success Academy, I learned so much, not just about math and science but also about myself. I know that I can do hard things and that I can do them well. I know the subjects in which I excel and find interest. I know when to take time to be proud of myself, regardless of what I did or did not do. Probably the most important thing I learned during all of this was just how much I still don’t know. There are so many different fields of study that people can go into—endless knowledge just waiting to be learned and some of it still waiting to be discovered. It’s humbling to know that no matter how much I learn, there is still so much more that I don’t know, and I want to learn as much of it as I can during this life. When times got rough during this program, I would repeat to myself, “It will be worth it when it’s over.” Having reaped the rewards of this opportunity, I find that it is indeed worth it. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I did it! I look forward to new opportunities in the future, and I intend to take as many of them as I can. I only hope I can learn just a fraction of what this life has to offer.