SIOUX CITY, IA -
You see commercials for sports drinks all the time. PowerAde is the official sports drink of the 2012 Olympics, and they've got athletes drinking up.
But what about you?
As the games began, the British Medical Journal looked into the nutritional value of these beverages, we decided to do the same.
There's no doubt that one of these drinks will quench your thirst on a hot day, but how healthy are they for you?
Chock full of electrolytes, carbohydrates, sodium and potassium, these drinks seem to be the healthy choice to hydrate and replenish your body. But Stephanie Schieffer, a clinical dietitian at Mercy Medical Center says that's not necessarily the case.
"For the endurance athlete, for the Olympic athlete, those drinks would be appropriate, for the low to moderate intensity exercising, who exercises for maybe 60 minutes or less, water is a good option, for before, during, and after your exercise," she said.
PowerAde's new commercial, promoting the new Ion 4 product, says it hydrates better than water.
"The drink industry has really boomed in the last several years, and marketing really sometimes make us think about what we should be doing and what we shouldn't be doing," Schieffer said.
And that can be confusing, but some people swear by them.
"I'm a cyclist, so on shorter cycling, anything 20 miles or less, I usually just do less, but anything like I'm going 100 miles a day, than I'll go with Gatorade, or PowerAde, or one of the sports drinks," cyclist Keith George said.
Others say good old fashioned H-2-O works for them.
"To be honest, I feel like I stay better hydrated when I drink water throughout my workout," said Shawna Lake.
"I like drinking it throughout the day, just cause it tastes good, just sipping on it, but during my workout, I like sticking to water," said Eric Fox.
So unless you're lifting weights, running, or cycling for longer than an hour a day, experts say water is your best bet.
Schieffer says some alternatives to replenishing your body with protein after working out include chocolate milk, or if you're just looking to hydrate, try water with a bit of lemon.
