tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/sports-drinks-12464/articlesSports drinks – The Conversation2020-09-03T14:48:26Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1386402020-09-03T14:48:26Z2020-09-03T14:48:26ZWhy low and alcohol free beers could be considered health drinks<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355848/original/file-20200901-14-1dwem69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C36%2C4893%2C3220&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Refreshing in the scientific-medical sense, not just the pints-after-work sense.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/people-men-leisure-friendship-celebration-concept-464199170">Syda Productions/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It is often said that weak beer was drunk in preference to dirty water in European towns during the middle ages. This fact is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9783527623488.ch1">probably overstated</a>, but the idea that beer was nutritionally important in the medieval period seems more likely. Weaker, so-called “small beers” would have been low in alcohol but a <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14037.html">valuable source of energy and nutrients</a>, helping medieval labourers meet their high energy requirements of 3,000 calories a day. </p>
<p>The industrialisation of brewing led to higher alcohol levels in modern beers, which together with their energy and carbohydrate content means beer is now associated with <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.538671!/file/Drinking_Guidelines_Final_Report_Published.pdf">poor health and disease</a>. Growing concerns about the health effects of excessive beer consumption has driven increased interest in no-alcohol and low-alcohol (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jan/20/uk-brewers-invest-in-low-alcohol-drinks-trend">“nolo”</a>) beers, especially in adults under 30. The acceptability of these beers has increased recently, in part due to brewing developments that require less heat and so retain more of the original flavours.</p>
<p>Research shows that moderate beer intake, as with wine, is associated with a reduced risks of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30166641">heart disease</a>. So it’s plausible that nolo beers could also offer these health and nutritional benefits, but without the negative effects linked to the alcohol and calorie content.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5710/6/2/25">recent review</a>, we set out to determine the health benefits of nolo beers and whether they could find a place as nutritious drinks with everyday uses, rather than being drunk typically only by teetotallers and designated drivers. Antioxidants and gut health are areas about which there is considerable interest among the health-conscious and among food producers, and nolo beers can provide for both. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C4%2C2764%2C1711&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Alcohol-free beer: like a sports drink, but tastes better.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pleia2/30252646627">Elizabeth K. Joseph</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Probiotics</h2>
<p>Many people think <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-behind-probiotics-and-choosing-one-that-works-132804">probiotics</a> are the bacteria in yoghurts and perhaps kombucha, but beer can be probiotic too – that is, it contains live, beneficial bacteria – due to its yeast. A number of yeasts such as <em>Saccharomyces boulardii</em> have been found to play a role in managing <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1756283X11428502">gastrointestinal disorders</a>, and although this type of beer is yet to be tested to see if it improves gut health, a number of studies are <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12602-020-09680-5">in the pipeline</a>. A beer using alternative yeasts such as this also could reduce the beer’s sugar content, or through slow fermentation, produce less alcohol. </p>
<p>Other styles of beer such as sour beers and lambics use bacteria similar to those you would find in live yoghurt. But, as with yoghurts, it may not be possible to get an approved health claim, and many products are treated to extend shelf life and in doing so reduce or remove any potential probiotic microorganisms. To contain any live probiotics linked to maintaining a healthy gut and immune system, the beer needs to be fresh, not pasteurised and unfiltered. But this would reduce its shelf-life and risk the production of “off” flavours. </p>
<h2>Polyphenols</h2>
<p>Polyphenols are a large group of compounds found in hops and grains that have been linked to a reduced risk of disease. They have been shown in laboratory tests to be powerful antioxidants, which can mop up dangerous free radicals in the body’s cells, which if left unchecked can increase the risk of diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. While there is doubt about whether this is the <a href="https://ifst.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijfs.14135">mechanism</a> by which antioxidants keep us healthy, what is clear is that diets rich in a variety of these compounds are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6115785/">a good thing</a>.</p>
<p>Beer and nolo beer are rich in polyphenols due to the barley and hops, which means beer can contain <a href="http://europepmc.org/article/med/25442616">over 50 different compounds</a> that could provide benefits from affecting gastrointestinal health to controlling bacteria growth. Beers containing more hops, such as IPAs, tend to contain even more of these <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1541-4337.12352">potential health-promoting polyphenols</a> than lagers.</p>
<p>There is now recognition that nolo beers can potentially be marketed as health products. German brewer Erdinger’s <a href="https://int.erdinger.de/beer/alkoholfrei.html">alcohol-free wheat beer</a> contains electrolytes that can aid the absorption of water to help digestion – something often referred to as “isotonic” when found in a sports drink. The beer is also a source of folate and vitamin B12 due to the action of the yeast in the bottled beer (particularly important for vegans, for whom there are few natural sources of vitamin B12 available). </p>
<p>Erdinger market this beer as “isotonic” and “a sporty thirst quencher”, which suggests it has identified that the beer is both suitable for, and is of interest to, groups beyond those wishing to avoid alcohol. The sports drink potential of nolo beers has been tested in the lab too, with low alcohol beers being <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2016.00045/full">almost as good</a> as sports drinks for rehydrating, especially if a <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/23/6/article-p593.xml">pinch of salt</a> is added. </p>
<p>While nolo beers are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jan/20/uk-brewers-invest-in-low-alcohol-drinks-trend">growing in popularity</a>, it may be that traditional beer fans may struggle to accept them as “real ales”, given the poor reputation of low-alcohol beers in the past. But with improving brewing and alcohol-removal methods, the flavour and potentially the health benefits of low alcohol beers can be retained, while reducing the negatives of excess alcohol and calories. Even the most ardent beer fans may yet be won over.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138640/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ray Carson is a Director of Beertorrent Ltd. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bishoy Hanna-Khalil and Duane Mellor do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Remove the alcohol and calories, and it turns out beer is a drink that has many qualities found in health drinks.Duane Mellor, Senior Teaching Fellow, Aston Medical School, Aston UniversityBishoy Hanna-Khalil, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Aston UniversityRay Carson, Senior Lecturer and Medical Studies Co-ordinator, Aston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/775272017-05-19T12:45:21Z2017-05-19T12:45:21ZOptimising nutrition in a bid to break the two-hour marathon mark<p>Twenty-six seconds. That’s how close Kenyan runner Eluid Kipchoge came to <a href="http://news.nike.com/news/breaking2-results">breaking the two-hour marathon</a> and bettering a mark many thought to be unachievable. Although this was the fastest time ever run over the 26.2 mile distance, it unfortunately did not count as a world record. In the event, organised by Nike in Monza, Italy, the revolving use of pace setters taking turns to reduce wind resistance and drinks handed to the athletes by attendants on bicycles meant that the time would not be recognised by the <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/home">IAAF</a>, the athletics governing body. Despite this, the significance of Kipchoge’s time should not be underestimated. </p>
<p>Just as the four-minute mile was a target for elite athletes in the 1950s, the excitement surrounding a sub-two-hour marathon has been building recently as the world record has been slowly chipped away. It currently stands at 2:02:57, set by Dennis Kimetto of Kenya, but Nike believed that, by controlling as many factors as possible, the elite runners selected for their race could break the two-hour barrier.</p>
<p>How did Kipchoge get so close? He is obviously an extraordinary athlete who optimised as many factors as possible to get the best performance including training, environment, equipment, pacing and nutrition.</p>
<p>For a marathon runner, nutrition plays a vital role and that means taking on carbohydrate to provide additional fuel to that already stored in the muscles and liver. There is a limit though. </p>
<p>The most carbohydrate that can be used by anyone is thought to be around <a href="http://insights.ovid.com/pubmed?pmid=20574242">90g per hour</a> as long as different types of carbohydrate are used in the drink – for example, the sugars maltodextrin and fructose. This limit also depends on the carbohydrate being emptied from the stomach into the intestines and from the intestines into the blood at a fast enough rate without causing gastrointestinal discomfort.</p>
<p>Gut discomfort is quite common in runners. Beate Pfeiffer of the University of Birmingham investigated carbohydrate intake in marathon runners and found that <a href="http://insights.ovid.com/pubmed?pmid=21775906">4% had serious gastrointestinal</a> issues – but this was only after consuming an average of 35g per hour. Higher amounts of carbohydrate and fluid will probably cause more problems. When they investigated other endurance events, high carbohydrate intake was related to increased nausea and flatulence, but it was also related to improved performance during Ironman races – the longest form of a triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and 26.2 mile run).</p>
<p>A good carbohydrate strategy depends on a fine balance between the total amount of carbohydrate and the amount of fluid consumed without causing any discomfort. Most commercially available sports drinks have a 6% carbohydrate concentration, which means that each litre contains 60g of carbohydrate. If runners only aimed for 60g of carbohydrate per hour they’d have to drink two litres of fluid over the duration of the race. That’s a lot of fluid at high speeds.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/170122/original/file-20170519-12242-1ff0qgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/170122/original/file-20170519-12242-1ff0qgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170122/original/file-20170519-12242-1ff0qgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170122/original/file-20170519-12242-1ff0qgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170122/original/file-20170519-12242-1ff0qgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170122/original/file-20170519-12242-1ff0qgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/170122/original/file-20170519-12242-1ff0qgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If runners aim for 60g of carbohydrate per hour they need to drink two litres of fluid over the duration of a marathon.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/376704928?src=fOn0GZjmM4ULxJrmP2MlPQ-1-65&size=medium_jpg">KieferPix/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>During a marathon, drink stations are every 5km (about every 14 to 15 minutes). In order to get the optimal amount of carbohydrate, runners would have to drink about 200-300ml at each drink station – a big challenge when you are running at 13.1 miles per hour.</p>
<p>Kipchoge and his team at Nike <a href="http://news.nike.com/news/breaking2-race-strategy">switched a few things up</a> to optimise nutrition. He reportedly drank a 14% carbohydrate drink to reduce the total volume of liquid he had to consume. Nike also set the drink stations up so that the three runners, hand picked to break the two-hour mark, could drink on every 2.4km lap. This way, they could take much smaller drinks and prevent a build-up of fluids in the stomach.</p>
<p>This needs practice though – as <a href="http://insights.ovid.com/pubmed?pmid=7799770">concentrated drinks can be slow to empty from the stomach</a>, particularly during high-intensity exercise. There is no way Kipchoge could have consumed a 14% carbohydrate drink without having practised and experimented in training. In other words, he trained his gut by building tolerance to large amounts of fluid and highly concentrated drinks, so that more is emptied from the stomach into the intestines.</p>
<h2>Training the gut</h2>
<p>In a 2010 <a href="http://jap.physiology.org/content/109/1/126.long">paper</a>, Greg Cox of the Australian Institute of Sport demonstrated that, after 28 days of high-carbohydrate feeding during cycling exercise, the amount of carbohydrate used increased. For marathon runners, more carbohydrate use means more fuel and energy.</p>
<p>How much did nutrition help in the Nike event and did training the gut make the difference? There is no definitive proof but we might see something by looking towards one of the other Nike athletes, <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/zersenay-tadese">Zersenay Tadesse</a>. He has been <a href="http://www.runblogrun.com/2015/04/zersanay-tadese-dreams-of-a-successful-boston-by-cathal-dennehy.html">notoriously bad</a> at getting his nutrition right in marathons. The world record holder for the half marathon, he has struggled when doubling the distance – but managed to beat his personal best for the marathon by four minutes in the Nike event, reducing his time from two hours ten minutes to two hours six minutes. Maybe, just maybe, with the help of the scientists, he trained his gut to optimise nutritional intake and provide the platform for a personal best.</p>
<p>We may never fully know the role nutrition plays in long-distance running, but what we do know is that when someone does break the two-hour barrier, nutrition and a trained gut will probably be at the heart of it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/77527/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Mears does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The two hour marathon is getting closer to being broken. How can nutrition help optimise performance?Stephen Mears, Lecturer, Loughborough UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/677952016-10-31T14:57:16Z2016-10-31T14:57:16ZYou’ve been sold a myth about sports drinks – and it could be slowing you down<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143907/original/image-20161031-15779-1bav9r7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>From <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/water-drinks.aspx">eight glasses of water</a> a day to <a href="https://theconversation.com/beach-body-row-misses-the-key-points-about-protein-and-weight-loss-40997">protein shakes</a>, we’re bombarded with messages about we should drink and when, especially during exercise. But these drinking dogmas are relatively new. For example, in the 1970s, marathon runners were discouraged from drinking fluids for fear that it would <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=3_zPW6FyqgAC&rdid=book-3_zPW6FyqgAC&rdot=1&source=gbs_vpt_read&pcampaignid=books_booksearch_viewport">slow them down</a>.</p>
<p>Now we’re obsessed with staying hydrated when we exercise, not just with water but with specialist drinks that claim to do a better job of preventing dehydration and even improve athletic performance. Yet the evidence for these drinks’ benefits is actually quite limited. They might even be bad for your health in some instances. So how did sports drinks come to be seen as so important?</p>
<p>Much of the focus on hydration can be traced back to the boom in road running, which began with the New York marathon in the 70s. Sports and drinks manufacturers spotted a growing market and launched specialist products for would-be athletes. The first experimental batch of Gatorade sports drink <a href="http://www.bmj.com/bmj/section-pdf/187587?path=/bmj/345/7866/Feature.full.pdf">cost £28</a> to produce but has spawned an industry with sales of around £260m a year in the UK alone. And consumption is increasing steadily, making it the fastest-growing sector in the UK <a href="http://www.britishsoftdrinks.com/write/MediaUploads/Publications/UK_soft_drinks_report_2012.pdf">soft drinks market</a> in recent years. What started life as a mixture of simple kitchen food stuffs has become an “<a href="http://www.bmj.com/bmj/section-pdf/187587?path=/bmj/345/7866/Feature.full.pdf">essential piece of sporting equipment</a>”.</p>
<h2>Marketing victory</h2>
<p>The key behind this huge rise in sports drinks lies in the coupling of science with creative marketing. An investigation by the British Medical Journal has found that drinks companies started sponsoring scientists to carry out research on hydration, which spawned a <a href="http://www.bmj.com/bmj/section-pdf/187587?path=/bmj/345/7866/Feature.full.pdf">whole new area of science</a>. These same scientists advise influential sports medicine organisations, developing guidelines that have filtered down to health advice from bodies such as the European Food Safety Authority and the <a href="https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/IOC/Who-We-Are/Commissions/Medical-and-Scientific-Commission/EN-IOC-Consensus-Statement-on-Sports-Nutrition-2010.pdf">International Olympic Committee</a>. Such advice has helped spread fear about the dangers of dehydration. </p>
<p>One of industry’s greatest successes was to pass off the idea that the body’s natural thirst system is not a perfect mechanism for detecting and responding to dehydration. These include <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zJqRB65EsaAC&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=The+human+thirst+mechanism+is+an+inaccurate+short-term+indicator+of+fluid+needs&source=bl&ots=zro_5VsYoL&sig=ILsoec5uLRDh-_ckaannKfHQTZM&hl=it&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwji8cL2i4XQAhXKBcAKHb0YCzsQ6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&q=The%20human%20thirst%20mechanism%20is%20an%20inaccurate%20short-term%20indicator%20of%20fluid%20needs&f=false">claims that</a>: “The human thirst mechanism is an inaccurate short-term indicator of fluid needs … Unfortunately, there is no clear physiological signal that dehydration is occurring.”</p>
<p>As a result, healthcare organisations routinely give advice to ignore your natural thirst mechanism. <a href="http://www.diabetes.co.uk/dehydration-and-diabetes.html">Diabetes UK</a>, for example, advises: “Drink small amounts frequently, even if you are not thirsty -— approximately 150 ml of fluid every 15 minutes -— because dehydration dramatically affects <a href="http://www.diabetes.co.uk/training-for-events.html">performance</a>.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143908/original/image-20161031-15728-1tmpivg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143908/original/image-20161031-15728-1tmpivg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143908/original/image-20161031-15728-1tmpivg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143908/original/image-20161031-15728-1tmpivg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143908/original/image-20161031-15728-1tmpivg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143908/original/image-20161031-15728-1tmpivg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143908/original/image-20161031-15728-1tmpivg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Water – just as good?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.gssiweb.org/en/Article/sse-122-sodium-ingestion-thirst-and-drinking-during-endurance-exercise">Drinks manufacturers</a> claim that the sodium in sports drinks make you feel thirstier, encouraging you to consume a higher volume of liquid compared with drinking water. They also claim these drinks enable you to retain more liquid once you’ve consumed it, based on the observation that the carbohydrates found in the drinks aid water absorption from the <a href="https://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/en-gb/training/nutrition/lucozade-sports-nutrition-and-hydration-q/">small intestine</a>.</p>
<p>This implies that your thirst mechanism needs enhancing to encourage you to drink enough. But research actually shows natural thirst is a more reliable trigger. A <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21454440">review of research</a> on time trial cyclists concluded that relying on thirst to gauge the need for fluid replacement was the best strategy. This “meta-analysis” showed for the first time that drinking according to how thirsty you are will maximise your endurance performance. </p>
<p>On top of this, many of the claims about sports drinks are often repeated without reference to any evidence. A <a href="http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/4/e001702.full">British Medical Journal review</a> screened 1,035 web pages on sports drinks and identified 431 claims they enhanced athletic performance for a total of 104 different products. More than half the sites did not provide any references – and of the references that were given, they were unable to systematically identify strengths and weaknesses. Of the remaining half, 84% referred to studies judged to be at high risk of bias, only three were judged high quality and none referred to systematic reviews, which give the strongest form of evidence. </p>
<h2>More harm than good?</h2>
<p>One of the key problems with many of the studies into the benefits of sports drinks is that they recruit highly trained volunteers who sustain exercise at high intensity for long periods. But the vast majority of sports drink users train for very few hours per week or exercise at a relatively low intensity (for example walking instead of running during a race). This means the <a href="http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/4/e001702.full.pdf+html">current evidence</a> is not of sufficient quality to inform the public about benefits deriving from sport drinks.</p>
<p>Even more importantly, as sports drinks rise in popularity among children, they may be contributing to obesity levels. A 500ml bottle of a sports drink typically contains around 20g of sugar (about five teapsoons’ worth) and so represents a large amount of calories entering the body. But endorsements by elite athletes and claims of hydration benefits have meant sports drinks have shrugged off unhealthy associations in many people’s eyes. <a href="http://blog.journals.cambridge.org/2015/03/11/the-majority-of-parents-believe-some-sugary-drinks-are-good-for-their-children/">One study</a> found more than a quarter of American parents believe that sports drinks are healthy for children.</p>
<p>That’s not to say hydration research into different drinks isn’t useful. For example, it <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289521168_A_randomized_trial_to_assess_the_potential_of_different_beverages_to_affect_hydration_status_Development_of_a_beverage_hydration_index">could help identify</a> which drinks help the body retain fluids in the longer term. This would be of real benefit in situations where athletes have limited access to fluids or can’t take frequent toilet breaks.</p>
<p>But the current evidence is not good enough to inform the public about the benefits and harms of sports products. What we can be almost sure about is that sports drink are not helping turn casual runners into Olympic athletes. In fact, if they avoided these sugar-laden drinks they would be probably be slimmer and so faster.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/67795/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alberto Dolci does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There’s not enough evidence that sports drinks are any better at hydrating you than water.Alberto Dolci, Course leader MSc Sport & Exercise Nutrition, Lecturer in Exercise & Environmental Physiology and Exercise Immunology, University of WestminsterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/616952016-06-30T09:03:02Z2016-06-30T09:03:02ZIs it OK to have a beer after exercise?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128282/original/image-20160627-28379-1fgeusk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&autocomplete_id=&search_tracking_id=ukLvXW8UkW3zeacCjtxZ0g&searchterm=beer&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=177912356">pogonici/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>People take up running, and other types of exercise, mainly to get fit and lose weight. But there’s often a social aspect, too. After a gruelling run, some people like to retire to the pub or club house for an ice cold beer. </p>
<p>It can’t do any harm … can it?</p>
<p>If we simply look at numbers, running mainly uses the body’s carbohydrate (sugar) and fat stores to provide energy for muscle activity, with the average 70kg person burning approximately 120 calories per mile covered. A pint of beer or lager contains about 200 calories, so modest beer consumption after a run is unlikely to lead to excessive weight gain. Still, all else being equal, the number of calories in beer means that fairly long distances have to be covered to make up for heavy consumption. </p>
<h2>The upside</h2>
<p>So, the odd beer after a run is not going to make you fat. But could it also have benefits?</p>
<p>Prolonged exercise results in depletion of the body’s liver and skeletal muscle glycogen (sugar) stores. These stores are important to offset fatigue and maintain exercise performance so you don’t “hit the wall”. As such, high carbohydrate diets are often recommended for ardent exercisers. </p>
<p>During exercise – particularly in the heat – water and electrolytes are lost through sweating. Following exercise, it is important to rehydrate, as well as to supply the body with adequate nutrition to help it recover and adapt. </p>
<p>To achieve this, many take to sports drinks, which contain electrolytes such as potassium and sodium – important for the body’s functions – as well as carbohydrates which are used as an energy store. Despite containing less sodium, beer can in fact be remarkably similar to many sport drinks. So you might ask: why should I not just drink beer instead since it contains many of the beneficial nutrients of a sports drink? There may be downsides…</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128290/original/image-20160627-8002-13rb5x6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/128290/original/image-20160627-8002-13rb5x6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128290/original/image-20160627-8002-13rb5x6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128290/original/image-20160627-8002-13rb5x6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128290/original/image-20160627-8002-13rb5x6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128290/original/image-20160627-8002-13rb5x6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/128290/original/image-20160627-8002-13rb5x6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Siri, find me the nearest pub.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/s/jogger/search.html?page=5&thumb_size=mosaic&inline=258858872">Mooshny/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The catch</h2>
<p>The potential downside of having a beer after exercise comes from the alcohol content (most beers are 4-5% alcohol by volume). One problem is that alcohol tends to make you pee more, so it may not be very effective for rehydration and therefore could be harmful for recovery from exercise. </p>
<p>The major organ of the body working during exercise is our skeletal muscles (arms, legs and trunk – about 50% of body weight). Running as an activity can be quite damaging for the muscles and other surrounding tissues, such as bones and tendons. As the feet strike the ground, shock waves are sent up the legs creating micro-damage in muscles and surrounding tissues. This is why we feel pain in the hours and days after running and why it can lead to injury. </p>
<p>Yet as we continue training, our muscles should become more resilient to these stresses. So a major concern is how alcohol might affect recovery from exercise and proneness to injury. Unfortunately, some research suggests that <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24748461">alcohol negatively impacts recovery and may increase the incidence of injury</a>.</p>
<p>When looking at research directly in relation to muscle tissue, it becomes even clearer why drinking alcohol has the potential to impair recovery processes and fitness gains associated with exercise. Studies have shown (albeit mainly in animals) that alcohol consumption negatively affects many of the processes in muscle that both <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24533082">remove damaged proteins and replace them with new ones</a>. </p>
<p>When it comes to the liver, the effects of long-term excessive alcohol intake on health, irrespective of exercise, are well documented (development of fatty liver and cirrhosis). In relation to exercise, the liver is a major glycogen store and, in spite of beer’s nutritional value, there is some evidence that alcohol impairs liver glucose storage and release. Once again, these aspects are likely to be detrimental to optimal exercise performance and recovery. </p>
<p>Excessive alcohol consumption can also suppress the ability of muscle to act as a “glucose sink”. A major health benefit of exercise is the control of blood sugar, which helps to avoid diabetes. Still, alcohol can <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4693236">oppose the sensitizing effect of exercise</a> on the control of blood-sugar levels. </p>
<p>Also, studies have shown alcohol intake can lead to hormone imbalances. For example, alcohol when coupled to exercise increases catabolic hormones such as the “stress” hormone cortisol, which breaks down muscle. At the same time, alcohol can decrease anabolic hormones, such as testosterone, which help <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4056249/">build up muscle</a>. Longer-term changes in the balance of these hormones can be bad for your health.</p>
<p>So is it OK to have a beer after a run? It is clear alcohol intake – despite its caloric value – can negatively impact responses to exercise. Excessive alcohol consumption could affect aspects of recovery, adaptation and even impact longer-term health benefits of exercise. Still, these conclusions should be placed in context. Existing research linking alcohol consumption to the benefits of exercise remains limited and equivocal. </p>
<p>However, while this is a relatively understudied area, having one or two pints of beer after exercise is likely to have little effect on responses to exercise – unless you are a professional looking for that extra 0.1%. Indeed, in many cases moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to be protective overall, rather than harmful. Everything in moderation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61695/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Does a post-workout pint undo all the health benefits?Philip J Atherton, Associate professor, University of NottinghamMatthew Brook, PhD Candidate, University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/575102016-04-15T14:08:46Z2016-04-15T14:08:46ZWhy spitting is as good as swallowing when it comes to sports drinks<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/118571/original/image-20160413-22035-qfztln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">At least you don't have to drink it.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?autocomplete_id=&language=en&lang=en&search_source=&safesearch=1&version=llv1&searchterm=energy%20drink&media_type=images&media_type2=images&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=209178775">www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Most people who enjoy running or cycling know that if you drink a sports drink you can <a href="https://theconversation.com/sports-drinks-help-athletic-performance-and-nothing-else-32041">perform for longer</a>. But for people taking part in sports such as football or tennis, where skill and accuracy are important, it’s unclear whether sports drinks can improve performance. <a href="http://www.gssiweb.org/Article/sse-118-carbohydrate-mouth-rinse-performance-effects-and-mechanisms">Recent research</a> has shown that there may be an alternative to drinking sports drinks. For exercise lasting between 30 and 60 minutes, swilling the drink around in your mouth and then spitting it out produces the same performance-enhancing results as swallowing it. </p>
<p>The theory was established by a research group at the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15570147">University of Birmingham</a>. Their study found that cyclists who rinsed a drink containing maltodextrin (a sugar) in their mouth for five seconds performed significantly better in one-hour time trials than cyclists who only rinsed with water. <a href="http://jap.physiology.org/content/118/6/776.long">Brain imaging studies</a> have found that the maltodextrin in the mouth is detected by specific receptors (specialised cells that can detect changes in the environment) which stimulates an area of the brain involved in motivation. </p>
<p>Sports such as football and tennis involve a lot of tactics and skill, such as shooting at goal in football and serving an ace in tennis. The more tired you become, the less accurate you become. So, if you can prevent tiredness and improve motivation, you could improve performance. It could make the difference between winning and losing a match. There is no published research determining whether carbohydrate mouth rinsing improves skilled sports performance. </p>
<h2>Testing it on fencers</h2>
<p>A sport which involves a lot of skill and tactics is fencing. For our <a href="http://www.physoc.org/proceedings/abstract/Proc%20Physiol%20Soc%2035PC25">study</a> we recruited twelve club-level fencers to determine whether carbohydrate mouth rinsing could be beneficial. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/118573/original/image-20160413-22040-1515op4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/118573/original/image-20160413-22040-1515op4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118573/original/image-20160413-22040-1515op4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118573/original/image-20160413-22040-1515op4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118573/original/image-20160413-22040-1515op4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118573/original/image-20160413-22040-1515op4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/118573/original/image-20160413-22040-1515op4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rinsing leads to better lunging.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&autocomplete_id=&searchterm=Fencing&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=351364763">www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Each fencer performed two trials. In one trial they rinsed a sports drink containing maltodextrin for five seconds and on another occasion they rinsed water. Because maltodextrin is a flavourless sugar, the fencers didn’t know if they were receiving a sports drink or water.</p>
<p>They performed a lunge test – the most common attacking motion in fencing – to determine fencing accuracy. They also performed a Stroop test to determine their reaction time with interference. (A Stroop test involves saying the colour of a word, not what the word says.) </p>
<p>Following these tests the fencers performed some fencing exercises while stopping to rinse their mouths with either the water or the sports drink. They then repeated the accuracy and reaction time test. The results of the study showed that rinsing with a sports drink improved lunging accuracy after the fencing exercise, whereas there was a decrease in accuracy (due to tiredness) after rinsing with water. Rinsing didn’t seem to have an effect on the Stroop test results. </p>
<p>Our results show that mouth rinsing a carbohydrate drink is beneficial for fencing performance, in particular on lunging accuracy. An added benefit, is that a fencing competition can last all day and the calories used can be low, so finding a way to improve performance without consuming lots of calories gives the fencer an added benefit. The use of mouth rinsing carbohydrate drinks also enables recreational athletes wanting the benefit of carbohydrate during sport without the increased calorie consumption to help with losing weight.</p>
<p>Our study shows that carbohydrate mouth rinsing has the potential to be beneficial for several sports where tactics and skill are important. With Rio Olympics around the corner, you might start seeing athletes using this technique to improve their performance and increase their chances of winning a gold medal.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57510/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span><a href="mailto:l.bottoms@herts.ac.uk">l.bottoms@herts.ac.uk</a> works for University of Hertfordshire. </span></em></p>Rinsing your mouth with a sports drink and then spitting it out can improve performance.Lindsay Bottoms, Senior lecturer, University of HertfordshireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/370962015-05-04T04:41:59Z2015-05-04T04:41:59ZHealth check: what’s eating your teeth?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/80216/original/image-20150504-23877-1ufhzbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Repeated exposure to high levels of acid can cause tooth erosion.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/hunterji/8488456316">Joshua Hunter/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Most of us know sugar is bad for teeth because it feeds bacteria that cause tooth decay. But fewer are aware that equally as damaging for teeth is acid, and that repeated exposure to high levels of acid can cause tooth erosion.</p>
<p>Unlike dental caries (decay), tooth erosion is not a disease and it’s not caused by bacteria. It occurs when acid dissolves the hard tissues of the tooth. In its early stages, it strips away the surface layers of tooth enamel. In advanced stages, it can <a href="http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/picture-of-the-teeth">expose the softer dentine</a> that underlies tooth enamel, or even the central pulp of the tooth. </p>
<p>Among indicators that your tooth is seriously eroded are chalkiness on the surface, pitting, opaqueness and a scalloping out of the tooth’s top surface, which, in some cases, can leave fillings exposed and teeth feeling very sensitive.</p>
<h2>Acid wash</h2>
<p>Higher than usual levels of acid in the mouth can occur for a range of medical and lifestyle reasons, but the most common cause of tooth erosion is repeated exposure to acids in the foods and drinks we consume. </p>
<p>Beverages with pH levels below 5.5 are comparatively acidic. This includes soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit juices, cordials and wine. The pH scale measures acidity ranging from two, which is highly acidic, to seven, which is neutral, and 13, which is highly alkaline.</p>
<p>But it’s not simply a matter of pH levels. It’s the mix of chemicals in a beverage that determines whether or not it is harmful to teeth. Some chemicals are chelators, which means they bind or trap other chemicals, and they cause tooth erosion by chelating calcium and effectively removing it from teeth. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/80221/original/image-20150504-23852-uapv3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/80221/original/image-20150504-23852-uapv3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80221/original/image-20150504-23852-uapv3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80221/original/image-20150504-23852-uapv3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80221/original/image-20150504-23852-uapv3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80221/original/image-20150504-23852-uapv3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80221/original/image-20150504-23852-uapv3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Soft drinks may contain high levels of acids that cause tooth erosion.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielhenzellphotography/8637811199">Daniel Henzell/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The frequency and length of time teeth are exposed to acids and chelators also make a difference, as does a person’s salivary flow – a healthy amount of saliva helps dilute and neutralise acid.</p>
<p>So what are some of the more common drinks that may be eating your teeth?</p>
<p><strong>Soft drinks</strong></p>
<p>Soft drinks have low pH levels, in some cases as low as 2.4. They may contain relatively high levels of one or more of these food acids: phosphoric acid (ingredient number 338), sodium citrate (331), citric acid (330) and tartrates (336). Phosphoric acid is mainly found in colas, while citric or citrate appears in lemon and lime-flavoured drinks. All these compounds are chelators of calcium.</p>
<p>Sugar-free varieties of soft drinks – marketed as “zero” or diet versions - are promoted as healthier alternatives. But although sugar is off the list of their ingredients, the acidic additives remain the same. <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1834-7819.2009.01126.x/full">Research shows</a> sugared and sugar-free soft drinks cause similarly significant levels of tooth erosion.</p>
<p><strong>Wine</strong></p>
<p>With pH levels as low as three, wine is also highly acidic and potentially erosive. This was aptly captured in research that identified tooth erosion as a <a href="http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2014/516975/">significant occupational hazard for wine tasters</a>.</p>
<p>There’s some debate over whether white or red wine is more erosive. But erosive potential depends on the level of acidity rather than wine colour and this varies from wine to wine. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/80218/original/image-20150504-23893-a0yvcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/80218/original/image-20150504-23893-a0yvcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80218/original/image-20150504-23893-a0yvcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80218/original/image-20150504-23893-a0yvcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80218/original/image-20150504-23893-a0yvcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80218/original/image-20150504-23893-a0yvcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80218/original/image-20150504-23893-a0yvcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wine’s erosive potential depends on the level of acidity, which varies from wine to wine.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/khawkins04/4764540278">Ken Hawkins/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To enjoy wine and avoid tooth erosion, consume it in moderation, drink plenty of plain (fluoridated) water and consider accompanying your wine intake with a piece of calcium-rich cheese. </p>
<p><strong>Coffee and other caffeine-containing drinks</strong></p>
<p>Caffeine increases the likelihood of tooth erosion by reducing saliva production. If consuming coffee, tea, cola or chocolate, make sure you keep your mouth hydrated by drinking plenty of water at the same time or afterwards.</p>
<p><strong>Sports drinks</strong></p>
<p>Dentists and dental researchers have become increasingly concerned about a potential link between sports drinks and tooth erosion because research shows <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/1/3.full.pdf+html">higher than average rates of dental erosion among sportspeople</a>. This is possibly the result of sipping on acidic sports drinks at a time where their impact is exacerbated by lower saliva levels because it’s during and after exercise.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ada.org.au/App_CmsLib/Media/Lib/1208/M429221_v1_Cochrane.pdf">Research that tested eight</a> commercially available sports drinks for their impact on tooth enamel found all but two caused significant surface loss and surface softening. The two beverages that didn’t have this effect had a higher pH, along with higher calcium content.</p>
<h2>Treatment and prevention</h2>
<p>So what can you do if you’re concerned about losing your teeth because of a history of drinking all the wrong things?</p>
<p>Early erosion can be treated by a dentist with fluoride in conjunction with a bio-available (able to be absorbed by teeth) source of calcium phosphate. In more advanced cases, the lost tooth surface may need a filling or a crown.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/80217/original/image-20150504-23845-zaxsov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/80217/original/image-20150504-23845-zaxsov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80217/original/image-20150504-23845-zaxsov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80217/original/image-20150504-23845-zaxsov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80217/original/image-20150504-23845-zaxsov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80217/original/image-20150504-23845-zaxsov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80217/original/image-20150504-23845-zaxsov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Drinking acidic beverages through a straw will lessen the amount retained in the mouth.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/loufi/108327344">Hendrik Dacquin/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Tooth erosion does increase the risk of tooth decay, so it’s important to manage erosion as early as possible. Better still, there are a number of ways of effectively reducing and neutralising the impact of acidic beverages on teeth. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Drink lots of water, particularly between meals.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t brush your teeth straight after drinking acidic or sugary beverages as this can remove the softened tooth layer. Instead, rinse your mouth with water and wait an hour before brushing.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are drinking acidic beverages, do so at meal times because the increased salivary flow that occurs when you’re eating will help neutralise acid.</p></li>
<li><p>Consume soft drinks, fruit juices and sports drinks through a straw as this will lessen the amount of beverage retained in the mouth.</p></li>
<li><p>Chew sugar-free gum (particularly one with bio-available calcium phosphate) as this can stimulate saliva flow and rinse away acids.</p></li>
<li><p>Finally, be wary of claims that sugar-free beverages are good for your teeth. Check ingredient lists for food acids to ascertain if the drink is likely to be erosive.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If you think you’re at risk of tooth erosion, talk to your dentist about a remineralising treatment. These contain fluoride and calcium phosphate to help restore calcium and prevent dental caries.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/37096/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stuart Dashper and Eric Reynolds receive funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Cooperative Research Centre program. He has been an investigator on grants from commercial companies looking to develop products to prevent and repair early stages of dental erosion. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eric Reynolds receives funding from NHMRC, the Australian Research Council and the Cooperative Research Centres program. He has been an investigator on grants from commercial companies looking to develop products to prevent and repair early stages of dental erosion. </span></em></p>Most of us know sugar is bad for teeth because it feeds bacteria that cause tooth decay. But fewer of us are aware that equally damaging is repeated exposure to acids in food and drinks.Stuart Dashper, Professor & Senior Principal Research Fellow, Oral Health CRC, The University of MelbourneEric Reynolds, Professor, Melbourne Dental School and CEO of the Oral Health CRC , The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/320412014-09-24T20:27:36Z2014-09-24T20:27:36ZSports drinks help athletic performance and nothing else<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59871/original/h6ptg63q-1411537638.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Even though they were designed for athletes, sports drinks are now usually consumed by people who are neither exercising nor athletes.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/picman94/14827885011">Rowan Gillette- Fussell/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A proposal to allow sports drinks manufacturers to feature health claims has led to something of a spat between the drinks industry and a health lobby group. The heart of the matter is whether “sport drinks” are, in fact, healthy.</p>
<p>Sports drinks, such as Powerade and Gatorade, were initially developed in North America in the 1960s. Their primary purpose is to help athletes with exercise performance. But it’s now commonplace for sports drinks to be purchased and consumed without any sport-related purpose in mind.</p>
<h2>A public spat</h2>
<p>The controversy started with <a href="http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/proposals/Pages/P1030HealthclaimsSportsfoods.aspx">Food Standards Australia New Zealand proposing</a> to allow sports drinks to make health claims beyond what’s currently permitted. The claims are to be self-substantiated by manufacturers so there will be no requirement for their veracity to be independently verified.</p>
<p>The Obesity Policy Coalition has warned against the proposal, saying the change would allow:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>popular sports drinks with nearly as much sugar as soft drink to carry health claims, which could mislead the public into thinking they were healthier choices than water.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In response, the chief executive officer of the Australian Beverages Council has claimed there’s significant evidence for the benefits of sports drinks and that manufacturers just wanted to:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>tap into a whole lot of internationally recognised research and scientific studies which are out there, which start to flesh out some of the more detailed, functional benefits that electrolytes and sports drinks can actually make. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>What are these “functional benefits”?</p>
<h2>Good for some</h2>
<p>The performance or functional benefits – not health benefits – of sports drinks are widely recognised for sporting events that go for longer than two hours, such as marathons, cycling or triathlons. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.gssiweb.org/Article/benefits-of-fluid-replacement-with-carbohydrate-during-exercise-">Research from the 1980-90s</a> shows sports drinks help minimise fatigue during longer-term exercise. Since then, these drinks have been extensively used with great effect in “endurance” athletic events.</p>
<p>A 600-millilitre bottle of the sports drink Powerade, for instance, contains the energy equivalent of 30 minutes of walking or 10 to 15 minutes of jogging. That much energy content can be very useful for someone aiming to improve exercise performance, but it’s not useful for people who aren’t highly active and already eating a normal diet. </p>
<p>In other words, these drinks help muscles continue to function during long-term exercise because they provide rapid energy, but if you don’t burn much energy, they’re just like drinking any other sugar-sweetened drink.</p>
<p>Sports drinks can be beneficial for replacing fluid and they’re better at doing this than water. This reduces the risk of dehydration, which can occur even without strenuous exercise but, again, dehydration mainly happens during prolonged competitive sports, especially in hot locations. </p>
<p>The fact is that most fitness enthusiasts or people exercising for better health, let alone the bulk of the population that’s largely sedentary, don’t typically perform anywhere near the amount or severity of exercise as athletes who use sports drinks for stamina or to avoid fatigue and dehydration.</p>
<h2>Bad for most</h2>
<p>One of the reasons people exercise regularly is to maintain optimal body weight. This requires balancing energy expenditure from physical activity with energy intake. In the absence of serious exercise, sports drinks, with their extra energy intake, can be counterproductive for this.</p>
<p>Sports drinks are flavoursome because they contain lots of sugar. Drinking them regularly in the absence of strenuous exercise and eating your normal diet could lead to weight gain in the long term. </p>
<p>What’s more, drinking any liquid containing high levels of sugar, like sports drinks, has serious long-term consequences for dental health – for both athletes and non-athletes alike.</p>
<p>Even though they were designed for athletes, sports drinks are now usually consumed outside of strenuous exercise or sporting events, and commonly by people who are not athletes. They should be probably be reserved for those actively involved in training for competitive endurance sports. Adding claims to labels about their health benefits without caveats will potentially mislead the public.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/32041/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Bentley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A proposal to allow sports drinks manufacturers to feature health claims has led to something of a spat between the drinks industry and a health lobby group. The heart of the matter is whether “sport drinks…David Bentley, Lecturer in Exercise and Sport Science, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/319612014-09-23T07:03:36Z2014-09-23T07:03:36ZSport sponsorship lends halo to supplements and sports drinks<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59756/original/4snjzqpx-1411440743.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Spectators can attribute the positive qualities of the sport they're watching to the supplements and sports drinks being promoted.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vijay_chennupati/6931254009">vijay chennupati/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sporting bodies shouldn’t unconditionally accept sponsorship from nutritional supplements and sports drinks companies because a link with sports lends undue credibility to these unproven products. <a href="http://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2014/07/29/medethics-2014-102147">In an article</a> just published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, my colleague and I argue such sponsorship misleads the public into thinking the products are inevitably good for health, fitness, and well-being. </p>
<p>Sport sponsorship – and its promotional cousin celebrity endorsement – can deliver massive mutual benefits. Consider the <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/dollars/post/_/id/2918/how-nike-landed-michael-jordan">Nike–Michael Jordan relationship</a>: basketball participation expanded, and Jordan became the world’s most recognisable athlete while Nike became the planet’s dominant sports shoe supplier.</p>
<p>But sponsorship can also be problematic. </p>
<p>During the 1970s and 1980s, for instance, the tobacco industry embedded itself in sport, and often paid for the naming rights for events and leagues. In the light of incontrovertible evidence that cigarette smoking caused lung cancer and other ill health, governments <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/D0FEA695F541BA92CA257BF0001C1AAF/$File/prohibition-act.pdf">banned direct and indirect advertising</a> of tobacco products. </p>
<p>The vacuum this left was quickly filled by multinational food and beverage companies, such as Coca Cola, Nestle, and McDonald’s, alongside alcohol brands. These are by no means health-promoting products, and despite their link with sports, don’t add to their legitimacy.</p>
<p>But sponsorship by nutritional supplement and sports drinks companies is more complicated. These products appear to encourage healthy living, and exercise, and both are linked to the ethos of sport, which is to <a href="http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/national/resources/sports-nutrition">fine-tune the body’s capacity to perform</a>. Amino acids help build muscle, for instance, while high-energy drinks can stall the onset of fatigue.</p>
<p>Still, there’s a problematic side to the regular use of supplements and sports drinks; the health and performance benefits of many of the products remain unproven. </p>
<p>While a beverage with high levels of caffeine might provide a short-term energy boost, its effect can be severely moderated by the dose, the time when it’s taken, and the nature of the sporting activity. And while multivitamin capsules are promoted as immune system <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/supplements/supplements_in_sport">stimulants and energy boosters</a>, supporting evidence is thin.</p>
<p>Supplements and sports drinks can also have serious health implications. Advertising implies these products are benign but large doses of caffeine can trigger <a href="https://theconversation.com/energy-drinks-a-trigger-for-heart-attacks-and-stroke-7036">irregular heart rhythm</a>, and lead to anxiety attacks. And a <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/05/31/136722667/pediatricians-warn-against-energy-and-sports-drinks-for-kids">daily diet of energy drinks</a> can lead to obesity and diabetes because of their sugar content.</p>
<p>To athletes, supplements also <a href="http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0003/lmb.html">pose a risk of doping</a> as they sometimes contain prohibited substances. Ingesting prohibited substances lead to sanctions regardless of any intention or knowledge of their presence.</p>
<p>These problems are compounded when the products are <a href="http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/v32/acr_vol32_48.pdf">linked to sponsorship deals</a> because spectators attribute the positive qualities of the sport they’re watching to the product being promoted. The link can lead to a seamless association whereby the product (in this case nutritional supplements and sport drinks) comes to be seen as not only as integral to sport, but also part of the overall experience.</p>
<p>By accepting their sponsorship, various sporting codes lend unwarranted credibility to products that would not otherwise be seen as beneficial or healthy. The issue has already prompted disquiet among sporting authorities, and many <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/197432/AIS_Statement_on_Supplements_Sold_by_Network_Marketing_Companies.pdf">sports organisations have publicly distanced themselves</a> from claims about their endorsement of supplement use. </p>
<p>The American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine have <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11145214">issued a joint statement</a> highlighting how supplements only benefit specific sports (creatine use for high-intensity sports, such as weight lifting and sprinting, for instance). They also point out that the majority of the supplements on the market fall into the category of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergogenic_aid">ergogenic aids</a> that do not perform as claimed.</p>
<p>Similarly, the <a href="http://www.irishrugby.ie/downloads/IRFU_supplements_the_young__FINAL.pdf">Irish Rugby Football Union recently noted</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the increased popularity of such products, across all ages and all sports, may be due to a lack of understanding of the claims made by manufacturers, many of which are not backed up by scientific evidence.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.wada-ama.org/en/questions-answers/supplements">the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) says</a> the use of dietary supplements is cause for concern because their manufacture and labels aren’t regulated. And this could mean supplements contain undeclared substances that are prohibited under anti-doping regulations.</p>
<p>These statements stand in stark contrast to the ubiquitous supplements and drinks sponsorship of sports teams and events. </p>
<p>The unease sporting authorities feel about endorsing these products is cause for caution about nutritional supplements and sports drink consumption and sponsorship. While it may not be sufficient for sporting codes to ditch such sponsorship, it should warn them against entering arrangements without first undertaking a “due diligence” test.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31961/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bob Stewart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Sporting bodies shouldn’t unconditionally accept sponsorship from nutritional supplements and sports drinks companies because a link with sports lends undue credibility to these unproven products. In an…Bob Stewart, Professor in the School of Sport and Exercise Science, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.