If the oral serums they became your favorite drinks because of the flavor they have and by the way they hydrate you, to the degree that you take one daily or more like time water, we have bad news for you, since you should not consume them if you don’t need them.
Serums and sports drinks with attractive colors and delicious flavors exist to specific needs and situations. Its ingredients: sugars and minerals such as potassium, magnesium and salt help in the hydroelectric imbalance in the blood.
In an interview for The financialthe nutritionist Cinthia Olvera explained that rehydrating serums are indicated for infants over six years of age and adults who present heat stroke, diarrhea and vomiting intestinal infectionswho performed extreme physical exercise or in case of having a hangover after drinking alcohol.
Olvera added that all rehydration drinks should be prescribedeither by the doctor or by the nutritionist, not take them just because they felt like it.
Meanwhile, as for sports drinks, the nutritionist Cinthia Olvera explained that these are designed exclusively for those who practice extreme exercise for more than an hour.
The specialist stated that the main function of sports drinks is to maintain water balance through electrolytes and give an immediate shot of energy through the sugar they contain.
“The sodium they contain retains fluid in the body to maintain good hydration so that you don’t feel like going to the bathroom during training or competition,” added Olvera.
Why is it not advisable to consume serums and sports drinks frequently?
Olvera indicated that these products should not be taken as time water at all, because there is a risk of consuming excess sugars and sodium.
“The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests consuming a limit of 25 grams of sugar per day, as long as the person does not have any disease and is healthy, without high glucose, obesity and diabetes,” detailed the nutritionist.
In case you are implementing the practice of drinking serums or sports drinks without needing them and having a sedentary life, the consequences could be:
- Nutritionist Cinthia Olvera indicated that the short-term consequence is weight gain because they will consume excess sugars.
- Alterations in the metabolism, in the process of absorbing and releasing glucose, so there may be high blood sugar and it may prediabetes occur.
- High blood glucose also leads to triglycerides rise. These are one of the most common fats in the blood. The excess of them generates cardiovascular problems.
- Predisposes to excess body fat.
- Hypernatremiahigher concentration of sodium in the blood, which can increase blood pressure.
- In interview with The financial, nutritionist Brenda Núñez indicated that it is not recommended to consume serums or sports drinks when you do not need them and you are not in a significant dehydration process because they have a extra load of minerals, that produce more work for the kidneywhich is the one in charge of having our hydration regulated.
- Núñez insisted that if this consumption is very frequent in very high portions, it can affect the kidney filtration rate.
- In addition, according to Núñez, the excess of minerals can create sediments in the kidney, known as pebbles.
- Nutritionist Núñez added that tooth enamel can also be demineralized.
How much sugar, sodium, and other minerals are in sports drinks and serums?
In this context, rehydrating serums that are advertised so much by different media have these amounts of sugars and sodium:
- 5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters. The presentations are 625 ml bottles, so the total is 31 grams, which represents a 124 percent more of the suggested consumption per day.
- Sera have 12 mg of sodium per 100 ml, or 75 mg, this represents 3.7 percent of the mineral we need to consume daily.
- They have a little more potassium, 149 milligrams, the bottle represents 20 percent of the daily recommended intake.
As for the sport drinksaccording to Olvera, these contain:
- 6 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters; the most common presentation is 600, so the non-athletic person who consumes the product would be taking 60 gr of sugar at that moment, a 240 percent more than suggested by the OMS
- They contain 48 milligrams of sodium per 100 milligrams, so the whole can has 248 milligrams, give or take. This represents a 14 percent of the sodium that we should consume daily.
- As for potassium, they have the 1.7 percent of the recommended daily intake.