17. Sports Drinks
Sports drinks are a handy thirst quencher after a hard workout at the gym – and at first glance, they appear to be packed with rehydrating and revitalising vitamins and minerals that will help our bodies recover. Unfortunately they are also loaded with sugar, plus they typically contain multiple artificial flavours and colourings, making them nowhere near as healthy as they first seem to be.
Research shows that too much sugar can cause tooth decay and put you at risk of obesity – while a study from the University of Florida shows it can raise your chances of suffering from type -2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
While sports drinks might not contain as much of the sweet stuff as soda, they aren’t far off and so they’ll cause an insulin spike. This might temporarily give you a burst of energy, but you’ll slump again right after and as this initiates rapid glucose uptake, which causes glucose to be stored in fatty tissue, it can be a major contributor to diabetes and excess weight gain.
Sodium levels are also too high in sports drinks despite the fact that a University of Cape Town study found they don’t prevent a drop in sodium levels – which is one of the main reasons they’re drunk in the first place! Ultimately, if you want to stay healthy after hitting the treadmill, it’s better to choose water to rehydrate, as at least then you can be assured you aren’t ingesting too much sugar, salt, or harmful artificial additives.
