Studies show how and where sports drinks have taken an edge over good ol' water.

An Overview: The use of sports drinks has become increasingly popular among athletes working out for major events. It has taken over water, which is a natural hydration choice but experts realize there are thirsts water can not quench.

Beverages that are intended for dehydrating athletes as well as reloading calcium and other nutrients fall in the category of sports drinks. They also contain electrolytes, which along with the other nutrients help in dehydration that is the main cause for exhaustion during work-outs.

Sports Nutritions fall into three major groups; Isotonic, Hypertonic and Hypotonic with isotonic being the most common. The content of sugar in these is six to eight percent with most of it composed of water and nutrients in an ideal balance similar to what is naturally found in humans.

Debates keep on arising as to what is the best form of beverage to not only quench thirst but also to help the body maintain a normal level of nutrients and electrolytes. An overview and comparison of the two most common contenders, water and sports drinks, is given below to reach at a conclusion:

Water

First on the list of Sports Nutrition is, not surprisingly, water. It is least expensive as it exists in nature and is more readily available than other beverages. However, it has a risky disadvantage. An athlete requires 4-6 ounces of water during exercise at an interval of 15-20 minutes. Using a lot of water can lead to water intoxication which means that the level of electrolytes in the body decreases alarmingly for water only replaces water that has been lost during exercise and not the electrolytes. This results in much damage to the central nervous system.

Sports Drinks

There is no argument that can support the assumption that sports drinks hydrate better than water, because, they don't! Where sports drinks come handy is when some people can not consume large amounts of water due to the bland taste. Firstly, sports drinks taste nice and secondly the sweetness does not satisfy thirst so a person ends up consuming more of it than water. They offer a heightened carbohydrate content, not to forget electrolytes, but are surprisingly low in calories as compared to fizzy drinks. They come with an impressive amount of choices so far as colors and flavors go so everyone can have a favorite. Various brands like EAS ISO Drive, Maximuscle Citrumax, SIS Rego Recovery Sports Fuel are available at www.MiraclesForMen.com .

Now ignoring all the hype surrounding "electrolyte balance", what truly makes these drinks special for athletes is the carbohydrates. These benefit the athletes by feeding the muscles and holding up exhaustion brought on by sweating and release of energy.

To conclude, water may be enough and also the best source of rehydration during routine thirst but when you are sweating profusely from an hour of heavy workout your body needs more than just H2O.

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