Is Powerade good for you?
The origin of the Powerade drink was made when researchers were finding the cause of excess fatigue of players after tireless exercise. They later named it as “born in the lab”. The major cause of illness and fatigue of the players after doing athlete tic activities is due to lack of enough electrolyte and water which was irreplaceable. After intense research to find out the solution of the problem, Powerade was made which can replace the carbohydrates and essential electrolytes at a time and keep the player hydrated after crucial exercises.
Although the market of Powerade is confined to athletes yet later found it has spread more than it as kids use it in their lunch or after playing soccer. Here arises a question, is Powerade good for use? So, let’s go through the pros and cons of using Powerade.
Pros of Powerade
When you face hydration chaos, nothing goes best than Powerade drinks. It contains an immense amount of salts and water which is the most essential component to keep you hydrated after a tough exercise. Yet some other kinds of Powerade also contain sugar and electrolytes such as potassium and sodium. The electrolytes are the essential minerals that keep the ionic balance of the body. A body must-have this balance for the accurate and smooth functioning of the brain, nerves, and muscles. But if a body loses its ionic balance it may lead to severe electrolyte disorder. The Powerade aids to maintain the level of vital electrolytes which must include, sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphate, and chloride.
Also, to water, the athlete’s body must acquire the necessary level of carbohydrates and electrolytes as they work for fuel to the body. This the major cause of popularity and max use of Powerade drinks. As they fulfil the requirement of both water and carbs which provide energy while performing prolonged activities especially in summers.
The Cons of Powerade
As per Berkeley study has shown that a number of people don’t feel that much energetics as they are supposed to be after taking Powerade drinks. 20 oz. of Powerade contains 36 grams sugar which almost equals to the amount of sugar a soda contains. This amount of sugar is not good for health. Further, it is proved by Berkeley researchers who recommend that sugar intake causes the epidemic obesity, particularly in kids and Powerade drinks, are contributing majorly. There are a lot of things yet to be discussed which votes against the usage of Powerade drinks such as tooth decay.
Let’s talk about people other than athletes and players who take Powerade drinks for taste. One can’t imagine it can be a cause of excess weight gain. As the drink contains sodium and carbs which can even lead to hypertension problems with the time.
Most of the Powerade lovers will prefer to take low-calorie drinks who are unaware of the saturated sugar that is, substitute of sucralose and acesulfame. In every 16oz. of the drink, more than 40 calories are taken which approximately fewer less than the regular Powerade. Although the artificial sweeteners are debatable yet.
In addition to sweeteners, the Powerade’s ingredients include artificial food colors too. Like Yellow No. 5, Red No. 40 and Blue No. 1. The origin of these hues is from petroleum which ultimately leads to vigorous hyperactivity among kids. Moreover, they linked to cancer sources.
Winding-up
While keeping in view the pros and cons of the Powerade drinks it will be difficult for the users to take an accurate decision. On one it is necessary to keep one hydrated and best than others in use when needed. But only for those who perform prolonged activities but strictly prohibited for inactive or who exercise for less than an hour. And same the case with the kids.
The experts have named them a “bad guy.” They have underscored the carbs consumption by kids not only via Powerade drinks, but it should be minimized from all food items.
Hence for kids and inactive athletes, water is the best source of keeping hydrated and taking in natural ions. Electrolytes and other carbohydrates should be replaced by fresh fruits.