Sweat, sweet sweat

Did you know that when you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated and it’s too late? And the type of drink you reach for to replenish that thirst makes all the re-hydration difference?

There are all sorts of drinks out there – soda, water, juice – that could meet the demands of your sweat. But when it comes to thirst that is deep down and begging to be quenched, there is Gatorade.

After all, years of research on the most efficient way to replenish what is lost when sweating can’t be wrong.

Gatorade was formulated to meet the needs of sweat. Matter of fact, Gatorade remains committed to providing athletes and sports enthusiasts with better performance levels while doing sport activities or working out. In order to achieve this, Gatorade formed the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI). It is the world’s largest privately-funded sports science research facility, with a focus on helping athletes optimize their health and performance levels, through research and education in hydration and nutrition science.

The GSSI has been helping out some of the best-known athletes in the world including Michael Jordan; Ironman Chris Leigh; basketball superstars Yao Ming and Vince Carter; New York Yankees baseball star Derek Jeter; the players of the Miami Dolphins, NY Giants, and Euro football teams like Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United, among others.

Last month, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute Asia Advisory Board members from Thailand, Korea, Japan, and the Philippines convened in Manila to discuss their newest research and findings in relation to hydration and nutrition and their direct impact on overall performance. Present were hydration expert Dr. Bob Murray, GSSI head; senior scientist Dr. Xiaocai Shi; exercise physiologist Dr. Hiroshi Nose from Japan; Dr. Chumpol Pholpramool from Thailand; Dr. Young-Soo Lee from Korea; and Dr. George Canlas from the Philippines.

"This is a great opportunity for everyone to learn more about the science of hydration. The board will be concentrating its efforts on raising awareness on the dangers of fluid loss by providing practical tips to sports professionals on proper hydration to optimize performance. This message is also highly relevant to everyday people in order for them to stay healthy and hydrated," said Steve Romasanta, Gatorade Philippines brand manager during the meeting.

The Gatorade Asia Advisory Board was created to build and forge relationships within the sports science community in Asia, to further the professionalism of sports science in the region, work to enhance sports science communications, and increase public awareness of the science of health in sports.

We met with Gatorade experts Dr. Bob Murray, an exercise physiologist who specializes in sports nutrition with emphasis on the physiological and performance effects of fluid and carbohydrate intake during exercise, and Dr. Xiaocai Shi, who manages the Gatorade Asia Advisory Board.

"We just finished an educational seminar for sports and health professionals," said Dr. Bob Murray. "This is one of the things that keep us busy throughout the year, doing these types of educational endeavors."

"We also held our Asian Advisory Board meeting – it was great," Dr. Shi added. "The board has been around for two years."

As the discussion started to heat up, we turned the discussion to sweat. Here’s what the two experts had to say:

Philippine STAR: What is the difference between Gatorade, the pick-me-up drinks, and energy drinks?

Dr. Bob Murray: There is a big difference between Gatorade and those types of drinks. First of all, Gatorade has about half the calories of any energy drink. It contains no caffeine, and it has electrolytes. Energy drinks don’t have any electrolytes. Of course, Gatorade is scientifically formulated to provide benefits to people during physical activity. That is certainly not what energy drinks are formulated to accomplish.

What is the difference between Gatorade and mineral water?

Dr. Murray: Big difference. First of all, water in and of itself is a fine thirst-quencher and I certainly don’t discourage people from consuming water, but during physical activity, Gatorade represents water with additional benefits. This is because Gatorade provides carbohydrates for energy and electrolytes for hydration. As a sports drink, Gatorade is formulated from a scientific standpoint to help physically active people get the most out of their bodies. This means it is for people, whether they are competitive athletes or just somebody looking towards enjoying recreational activity.

What about the difference between light or diet drinks and Gatorade?

Dr. Murray: It depends on the circumstances. There are plenty of occasions when water or tea can be just fine. People can get hydrated with these drinks, which can quench their thirst. But there are occasions when Gatorade provides the best thirst benefits by virtue of the fact that it is formulated specifically for physical activity. So, the harder people exercise and work out, the greater the benefits that Gatorade can provide. Because when you work out hard and you are physically active, even on the job, like laborers who are working up a sweat, Gatorade provides benefits beyond just plain water or ice tea.

For people who work in an office, what is the difference between drinking a diet soda, cola, ice tea, juice, and Gatorade?

Dr. Murray: If the diet cola contains caffeine, you would lose more fluid than you would if you drank Gatorade. If you are dehydrated already, if you just worked out, or just haven’t had an opportunity to consume fluid during the day, then you are better off with Gatorade then with a soft drink.

Dr. Xiaocai Shi: Gatorade is a sports drink and it is for everyone. It is good for athletes, but it is also good for everybody else. When people are hot and sweaty, they lose body fluid. They need a fluid that will help re-hydrate them fast and will also re-hydrate them better. They get that from Gatorade.

Is Gatorade just for athletes?

Gatorade is the drink for any time we get sweaty, and there are so many different opportunities to get sweaty. We can be sweaty just by walking outside or going to the beach or doing any type of recreational pursuit or working out in the yard or even when we are sick. These are cases where Gatorade can help and where water and other beverages can’t. It goes far beyond being an athlete.

Do athletes sweat differently from you and I?

Dr. Shi: The composition of sweat is different because people sweat differently. Also, sweat rates are different. Sweat rate means the amount of fluid that sweat evaporates per minute or hour.

Does an athlete have a higher sweat rate?

Dr. Shi: Not necessarily. A non-athlete may have a higher sweat rate than an athlete. But during exercise, it depends on the exercise duration and the amount of energy put into the workout. It is there that you will see different sweat rates in different people

Dr. Murray: There is an enormous difference between people in sweat rates. Some people will be drenched in sweat, and other people doing the same thing are hardly sweating. In general, athletes sweat more than non-athletes because as they become more fit, they sweat more efficiently. Sweat is a protective physiological response that keeps us cool.

Is a person who sweats healthier than a person who does not sweat as much?

Dr. Murray: Under most circumstances, the person who sweats a lot is prone to dehydration as opposed to somebody who is a more efficient sweater. If we were to choose our sweat rates, if we had that ability, I suggest that all of us choose a low and efficient sweat rate. This way, we would be less prone to dehydration. And it would be easier for us to drink fluids to keep up with our hydration needs. If we are heavy, sloppy sweaters, we will have a heck of a time staying hydrated.

Does drinking water when one is drenched in sweat help or not?

Dr. Murray: Well, it doesn’t during the activity. And the reason it doesn’t is because water is just water, it does not have the electrolytes that you are losing as you sweat. Part of the scientific magic of Gatorade is that it provides an amount of electrolytes and carbohydrates to meet the body’s needs during physical activity. And the reason we have done decades of research on Gatorade is that it gives us an ability to understand exactly what people’s bodies require during physical activity and to fine-tune the product to meet those needs.

Is a nervous sweat different from an athlete’s sweat?

Dr. Murray: It is very different because it uses different sweat glands. When we are nervous and we sweat, that sweat is provoked by adrenaline. When we are physically active and we sweat, there is a different sweat gland and a different chemical that provokes the sweat.

Would you need to replenish a nervous sweat with a different drink?

Dr. Murray: It would be fine to drink Gatorade for a nervous sweat, but water would be fine, too.

Is Gatorade fattening?

Dr. Murray: No. It only has half the sugar of fruit juices and regular soft drinks.

Is there a special reason for the different flavors of Gatorade?

Dr. Murray: Because we want to have something for every body. Our taste preferences change so dramatically when we are physically active. The drinks that we enjoy at rest are not the same drinks that we enjoy when we are really working up a sweat. We have done a lot of research over the years to identify the sort of extremes of high-flavor intensity and low-flavor intensity drinks that represent the upper and lower limits to what is palatable during physical activity. And we have the different Gatorade flavors arrayed between those two extremes so that we give people as many choices as we can.

Dr. Shi: My favorite flavor is orange. Taste is very important. If the product tastes good, people will drink more. And thus it will benefit in re-hydration.

Dr. Murray: Mango flavor is what I like.

Are there other benefits to drinking Gatorade?

Dr. Murray: Try taking Gatorade when you have a bad hangover and you will see how effective it is. A night of drinking can cause dehydration, and the best drink to cure the hangover is Gatorade.