Energy and Sports Drinks
October 18, 2012 | Posted in General Information
Energy and sports drinks a
re definitely increasing in popularity, especially among young adults and teens. Many consume these drinks to replenish energy and electrolytes during and following exercise with little other concern for the other effects they have on our body; more specifically, on our oral cavity.
re definitely increasing in popularity, especially among young adults and teens. Many consume these drinks to replenish energy and electrolytes during and following exercise with little other concern for the other effects they have on our body; more specifically, on our oral cavity.
Most of these drinks are high in sugar and as we all know, sugar is broken down into acid which destroys enamel. Some drinks are sugar free, but the fruit juices and other chemicals contained in them are also acidic. Frequency is the critical aspect to consider when any foods containing sugar are consumed. The more frquently we bath our teeth in sugars and acid, the greater the risk of tooth decay and acid enamel erosion. One drink consumed over a one hour period (e.g. during a hockey game, soccer game, etc) causes much more damage than one drink consumed over a period of 5 minutes. Even though the damage is reduced with rapid consumption, we must still limit the frequency of intake to reduce the overall number of acid and sugar attacks per day.
Water still remains the best way to hydrate during sporting events. If you do choose to use energy drinks, try to rinse them down with water afterwards to dilute the sugar and help neutralize the acid attack.