DO WE REALLY NEED SPORTS & ENERGY DRINKS: Part 1: Diet/Nutrition for Young Athletes

In my last blog I promised to focus on some of the “poor habits” that are easily found in many, if not all, high schools when it comes to LIFESTYLE issues concerning Diet, Sleep and Regenerative Methods.
In addition, I am going to add “Training Methods” that tend to be problematic in that, instead of preventing injury and improving performance, many high school and youth training methods can actually “cause” injury and hamper performance.

But, today I will begin Part I on Diet/Nutrition Concerns for Young Athletes.
Whether you are on a high school field, track, court or gym to watch practice or competition, it is hard not to notice the large amount of Sports Drink plastic bottles that are strewn everywhere. Visit a City Sports Field for youth club or recreational soccer and notice how many bottles or “juice bags” you see. Staggering, isn’t it? 

The big questions to ask are “Do the kids really need Sports Drinks for games lasting an hour or less? Do they really need the calories in those drinks for an hour of play? Wouldn’t a good pre-game meal supply all of the calories needed instead of gulping down sugared drinks BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER an hour of play? Do orange slices and energy drinks at half time really do anything more than possibly cause gastric distress?  Are fruit juices (many loaded with corn sweeteners) good choices for hydration purposes? Do you really need to go to McDonald’s after the game?

If click on the top article under the Specific Topics Pages in the column to the left of this blog post you will find an informative article on the benefits of JUST PLAIN, OLD H20 as the best hydrating drink for exercise lasting an hour or less.
One of the good points that Jessica Buschmann makes is that “water should be your primary method”. She goes on to say that A well balanced diet, three meals and three snacks is a much better method of fueling than using sports drinks as a solution to meet your energy goals.”

Now, in addition to Sports Drinks, we have the explosion of ENERGY DRINKS. These should be avoided as both sources of energy for competitions/ practices and for hydration purposes. In fact, the study in 2011 by the National Library of Medicine states that “energy drinks offer no therapeutic benefits and pose a serious risk of adverse health effects in children and young adults. The study suggests a RESTRICTION on the availability and sale of energy drinks, sports drinks, artificially flavored water, and soda in schools, WATER SHOULD BE provided free of charge.

Here are some good rules to follow:  1) Never skip breakfast or pre-competition/game/ practice meal that should be eaten between 1 and 3 hours before depending on the contents and size of the meal. 2) Use water for hydration purposes during games and practices, 3) Do not use Sport Drinks or Energy Drinks to replace pre-game/practice/competition meals.

Today’s obsession with “fast food” has extended into over dependence on “FAST DRINKS”. I am amazed when I see how many parents take their children to Starbucks or other Coffee –Fast Food establishments B EFORE SCHOOL. While the parent gets their morning coffee or coffee drink they buy “sugar loaded hot chocolate drinks and high calorie pastries (many loaded with sugar as well) for their children’s PRE-SCHOOL BREAKFAST. 

Stopping at Jamba Juice or similar juice bars, may give the illusion of a healthier alternative but the amount of calories and simple sugars in these blended drinks can cause the same effects in children…too many calories, too high a percentage of sugar and eventual craving for sugar/food with a short time span. 

Having taught for many years in the classroom, I can’t help having visions of young children with “huge drops” in blood sugar fighting to keep from dozing off during morning Math lessons.

So, I would encourage parents to evaluate how many Sports Drinks and / or Energy Drinks their children/ young adults are consuming and, if necessary, severely limit the amounts. SPORTS DRINKS AND FRUIT JUICE DRINKS are NOT to be used as MEAL REPLACEMENTS nor are they normally needed for adequate hydration for most activities that last an hour or less.

Your children need to get their daily energy requirements from FOOD through a diet that features a variety of foods eaten at proper intervals DEPENDING on their practice times, game/competition times and normal meal times.
Teaching good eating habits is one of the most important factors for the optimal growth and maturation of all the body systems of children and young adults. It should not be based on convenience, lack of planning or the available choices at FAST FOOD establishments, school cafeteria’s and vending machines, the local 7-11 or SPORTS AND ENERGY DRINKS.
If you want to really have your eyes opened to the “marketing hype” and influence of Sports Drink companies on schools, athletic trainers, coaches and teams, please click on http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e4737 and READ “The Truth about Sports Drinks.

In my next post, Part two of Diet/Nutrition Concerns for Young Athletes, I will feature information on the Daily Protein, Fat and Carbohydrate needs for children and young adults as well as the best sources of foods to meet these requirements. MEETING THE NUTRITIONAL AND SLEEP NEEDS OF YOUNG ATHLETES IS CRITICAL IF EACH YOUNG ATHLETE IS TO GROW AND DEVELOP PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY!
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Beloware two, good articles to consider in the battle of MARKETING HYPE vs HEALTH of young athletes.

Sports drinks and energy drinks linked to unhealthy behaviors in adolescents

Tuesday 6 May 2014 -  Written by David McNamee

A study by researchers at the University of Minnesota and Duke University in Durham, NC, finds an association between weekly consumption of sports and energy drinks and higher consumption of other sugary drinks, cigarette smoking and use of screen media. 

The high sugar, calorie and caffeine content of sports and energy drinks is an area of concern for health care professionals and these drinks have experienced a surge in popularity in recent years. National data have shown that although there has been a fall in consumption of soft drinks and fruit drinks, sports and energy drinks have tripled in consumption among adolescents.

The researchers behind the new study - which is published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior - gathered data from 2,793 adolescents across 20 public middle and high schools in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area during the 2009-10 school year.

The students reported data on their height, weight, how often they drink sports and energy drinks, how often they eat breakfast, how much physical activity they engage in, how much time they spend playing video games and watching TV, and whether or not they smoke.

Despite consumption of sports drinks being linked to higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, overall, the researchers found that consumption of sports and energy drinks contributes to a growing cluster of unhealthy behaviors among adolescents.

The study finds a link between smoking, high consumption of other sugary drinks, and prolonged time watching TV or playing video games with weekly sports and energy drinks consumption. 

Lead author Nicole Larson, PhD, from the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, explains:
"Among boys, weekly sports drink consumption was significantly associated with higher TV viewing; boys who regularly consumed sports drinks spent about 1 additional hour per week watching TV, compared with boys who consumed sports drinks less than once per week.
Boys who consumed energy drinks at least weekly spent approximately 4 additional hours per week playing video games, compared with those who consumed energy drinks less than once per week."
Dr. Larson and her team say that future research and interventions should do more to promote healthy hydration habits in adolescents and target the clustering of behaviors that present health risks to youth.

What is the position on sports and energy drinks from health care bodies?

The researchers say that consumption of sports and energy drinks contributes to a growing cluster of unhealthy behaviors among adolescents.

The position on these drinks from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is that sports drinks should only be consumed by adolescents after vigorous and prolonged physical activity.

The AAP asserts that energy drinks, meanwhile, should not be consumed as they offer no health benefits and increase risks for overstimulation of the nervous system. 

Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that around 73% of children consume caffeine on a daily basis. The CDC also reported that 20% of teenagers who consume energy drinks believe them to be safe.

A recent study from researchers at Iowa State University suggested that the drinks' labeling may be to blame for the misperception of energy drinks as not being harmful. Current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines do not require caffeine and other stimulants to be listed in product labeling.

Also, although the FDA says that up to 400 mg of caffeine a day is not associated with adverse effects in adults, the administration has not issued any caffeine recommendations for children and adolescents.

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Energy Drinks vs. Sports Drinks: What you should know

Rebecca A. Demorest, M.D., F.A.A.P.  

As a member of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee for the California Interscholastic Federation on High School Sports, we had our semi-annual meeting in Los Angeles this week.
One active discussion topic was energy drink use in athletes. What an energy drink is and how we define it was a surprisingly challenging topic for the group. With all the marketing strategies manufacturers use today, it may be easier to define what is not an energy drink. We know anecdotally that excessive energy drink use may be related to heart problems and even sudden cardiac death. Overuse of these products is a (relatively) easy problem to prevent in my mind and simple education should do the trick.

What is an energy drink?
Energy Drinks are beverages that contain varying amounts of caffeine, guarana, taurine, vitamins, carbohydrates (sugar) and other supplements. Marketed to improve energy, concentration, stamina, athletic performance, and weight loss, manufacturers are not required to list the caffeine content in Energy Drinks. There is no regulation of the amount of caffeine in Energy Drinks unlike the FDA regulation of soft drinks (maximum of 71 mg of caffeine per 12 fl oz. soda). Energy Drinks may contain 3-5x the amount of caffeine when compared to cola products. The total amount of caffeine in an Energy Drink can exceed 500 mg/ Energy Drink.

The big issue: Many athletes do not differentiate between sports drinks and energy drinks.
Sports drinks and energy drinks are different. Sports Drinks are flavored beverages containing carbohydrates, minerals, electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium) and other vitamins or nutrients. Sports Drinks are intended to replenish water and electrolytes lost through sweating during exercise.

Why do we care?
Kids, especially athletes, are using these “energy drinks” as hydration tools and performance enhancers. Some athletes are mistaking energy drinks for sports drinks. I have heard of football players taking upwards of 5 energy drinks before a game to “rev them up.” I have also seen teens drink beverages touted as “healthy” only to later find out that these beverages have an amazingly high caffeine content.

What can go wrong?
Athletes should not use excessive caffeine or caffeine substitutes for hydration or performance enhancement. The more caffeine you ingest the more side effects may occur which are NOT performance enhancing or hydrating (headache, nausea, jitteriness, racing heart, agitation, abdominal pain, vomiting, and sleep disorders.) That does not even include the serious side effects (liver damage, kidney failure, respiratory disorders, agitation, seizures, psychotic conditions, muscle breakdown, increased heart rate, heart dysrhythmias, high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke, and sudden death.)

Marketing Bias?
Don’t be fooled. Manufacturers market to young people with their labels and promises just to make more money. They think that you will believe anything they tell you. Show them that you are smarter than that.

Read the labels. Ask your kids what they drink. Be aware and involved.