News and Views from kSero
Rethinking Sports Drinks September 3, 2007
By Susan Hardwicke, Ph.D.


Sports drinks are everywhere-- professional and amateur events, practice fields, and gyms. Thanks to these associations, most of us believe that these highly sugared sports drinks are healthy. That's just not true. Before you check out of the grocery store with another bottle of a brightly colored (or even clear) sport beverage, you need to know that these products are unhealthy for your brain.
Repeat, with greater emphasis: Today's sports drinks kill brain cells.

Sports drinks wreak havoc on the brain in at least two ways:
  1. Chemicals, such as colorings that have high "shelf appeal."
  2. Sweetening agents, such as high fructose corn syrup and aspartame (Nutrasweet)
Colorings, especially FD&C Blue No. 1, damage nerve cells. This is true. I've seen evidence of this at kSero, where children's training sessions are nearly worthless when they have consumed any of the popular sports or energy beverages. When we measured the effect of some energy drinks on the ability to focus, it dropped significantly for the subjects who regularly consumed these beverages.

High fructose corn syrup, a mainstay of such sports drinks as Gatorade (though try to find it listed on their web site), causes mineral loss and negatively affects how brain cells respond to glucose. Despite these and other known problems, such as a rapid conversion to fat, high fructose corn syrup is the sweetening agent of choice because it is the cheapest option available and as a liquid is easy to blend and transport.

Aspartame, known commercially as Nutrasweet, is known to kill brain cells. It converts to formaldehyde, a toxin for which there is no known amount "safe for consumption." Evidence also shows that it reduces the neurotransmitter serotonin, a brain chemical involved in mood and depression. The developing brain of the child is likely much more susceptible than an adult brain to the damaging effects of aspartame.

Excessive caffeine. Energy drinks can be just as bad, if not worse, than sports drinks. These typically are loaded with caffeine. While studies have shown that low to moderate amounts can be beneficial, large amounts (more than 200mg) of caffeine increase heart rate and blood pressure; a published case study suggests that it can cause facial tics.

Put sports and energy drinks back on the grocery shelf, and make your own red or green tea, or fill a sports bottle with water from a local spring. Remember these simple rules:
  1. If a drink's color isn't found in nature, don't buy it or pick it up.
  2. If a drink is clear, read the label. Discard any drink with ingredients such as "fructose, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, Nutrasweet., Splenda, or sucralose.
Keep your neurons healthy: READ LABELS AND DON'T PURCHASE UNHEALTHY BEVERAGES.