What Is the Effect of Good Drinking Water for Athletes?

Athletes must drink fluids during training or racing to avoid the risk of dehydration, which can impair performance and lead to serious physical problems. Athletes have a choice of fluids, including different types of water and sports drinks, each offering different benefits. Good drinking water, such as mineral water or spring water, contains essential minerals that replace those lost through sweat, helping to maintain the body’s natural balance.

During strenuous exercise such as a long training run, a race or an interval workout, athletes lose a proportion of their body weight through sweat. Athletes who lose more than 2 percent of their body weight risk impaired performance, according to sport coach Brian Mackenzie. A loss of 4 percent reduces the capacity for muscular work, while a loss of 5 percent leads to heat exhaustion. Drinking good water before, during and after strenuous exercise helps to maintain body weight and prevent the problems related to weight loss.

Sweating also results in the loss of important minerals, including chloride, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium that help to regulate the body’s nerve and muscle functions. Tap water from a municipal source does not contain any of these elements, so drinking plain water only provides a partial replacement for sweat loss. Plain tap water, however, may be sufficient for athletes completing low-intensity workouts lasting under 45 minutes, according to Pennsylvania State University. For longer, more intense sessions, mineral replacement from a source such as a good drinking water is essential. Bottled mineral waters contain different proportions of minerals and trace elements, depending on their source, so athletes should check the composition on the label.

Athletes should not consume excessive amounts of water over a prolonged period, according to Pennsylvania State University. Drinking water that does not contain sufficient sodium to replace the amount lost through sweat can dilute the levels of sodium in the blood, leading to a condition called hyponatremia. This condition could affect athletes who compete in endurance events such as marathons, triathlons or ultra-distance events lasting in excess of three or four hours. For those events, a sports drink that provides adequate sodium replacement would be more suitable than water.

Athletes who are unsure of the most suitable fluid for their training and racing needs should also take into account energy requirements. Although good drinking water provides a suitable sweat replacement, it does not contain elements such as soluble carbohydrates that provide a useful energy source during prolonged exercise, according to coach Brian Mackenzie. Athletes can use a sports drink containing carbohydrates to top up the body’s natural store of carbohydrates, which is depleted during exercise.

Article reviewed by Michael Carroll Last updated on: Jan 30, 2012

View the original article here