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High Fructose Corn Syrup in Beverages for Athletes
What is a Sports Drink?
A sports drink is a beverage that contains water, carbohydrates and other nutrients like sodium and potassium to help replenish the body during vigorous exercise and sporting events.
The type of carbohydrates these products contain is important as they fuel the body during exercise. Whether the drink is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup or sugar, both contain almost equal parts fructose and glucose and are metabolized the same by the body. The American Dietetic Association confirmed that “High fructose corn syrup...is nutritionally equivalent to sucrose. Both sweeteners contain the same number of calories (4 per gram) and consist of about equal parts of fructose and glucose. Once absorbed into the blood stream, the two sweeteners are indistinguishable.”
Why High Fructose Corn Syrup?
In addition to sweetening, high fructose corn syrup has the added advantage of helping maintain and improve the texture, color and flavor in beverages in ways that other sweeteners cannot. In beverages, it ensures that an orange-flavored sports drink tastes like an orange-flavored sports drink, remaining fresh for consumer enjoyment. High fructose corn syrup also meets the FDA’s standards for use of the term “natural” as it does not contain any artificial or synthetic ingredients or color additives.
Hydration and Exercise
Hydration is the primary reason to choose sports beverages. Experts agree that:
- 16 ounces of fluids should be consumed one hour prior to exercise,
- 4-6 ounces should be consumed every 15 minutes during exercise, and
- for every pound lost while exercising (from body water losses, i.e. sweat) an athlete should drink 16 ounces post exercise.
The primary reasons an exerciser should choose sports drinks are hydration and the need for energy. The added sodium found in sports drinks aids in facilitating hydration because sodium actually causes water to go back into cells at a faster pace.
An athlete who sweats heavily benefits from the formula in sports drinks. Sweat contains sodium and small amounts of potassium. By drinking a sports drink, not only do you replace lost body water at a faster pace, you also replace lost body minerals that are essential for optimal muscle contraction and relaxation.
The endurance athlete - someone exercising 90 minutes or more - should drink sports drinks with carbohydrates and electrolytes. Individuals exercising for shorter periods of time only need water unless they have not eaten enough prior to exercise. In that case, they may benefit from the energy provided by the carbohydrates in the sports drink. (Sawka 2007. Coyle 1992a, 1992b).
For additional information about hydration and fluid replacement in athletes and children, please consult the following Web sites for athletes and for children.
- American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand: Exercise and Fluid Replacement
- WebMD “7 Tips to Prevent Dehydration in Children”
Additional Resources
Passe, D.H., et al. Palatability and voluntary intake of sport beverages, diluted orange juice, and water during exercise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. Vol 14(3):272, 2004.
Maughan, R. et al. Fluid and Electrolyte intake and loss in elite soccer players during training. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. Vol14(3):333, 2004.
Shirrefs, S., et al. Rehydration after exercise in the heat: a comparison of four commonly used drinks. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. Vol 17(3):244, 2007.
Citations
Sawka MN, Burke LM, Eichner ER, Maughan RJ, Montain SJ, Stachenfeld NS. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand: Exercise and Fluid Replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 39(2):377-90, 2007.
Coyle, E.F, and S.J. Montain. Carbohydrate and fluid ingestion during exercise: Are there trade-offs? Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 24(6):671-678, 1992a.
Coyle, E.F, and S.J. Montain. Benefits of fluid replacement with carbohydrate during exercise. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 24(9):S324-S330, 1992b
