They’re sold as the healthy alternative to soft drinks – but popular sports drinks can be just as damaging at their sugary counterparts.
A new study by the Cardiff University School of Dentistry published in the British Dental Journal today has found that a high proportion of 12 to 14 year olds are regularly consuming popular sports drinks socially, increasing their risk of obesity and tooth erosion.
Dr Paul D Jackson, President of the University’s Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine, said many parents didn’t understand that sports drinks are not intended for consumption by children at all, let alone in the “social” way 50 per cent of children consume them.
“The proportion of children in this study who consume high carbohydrate drinks, which are designed for sport, in a recreational non-sporting context is of concern,” he said.
“Sports drinks are intended for athletes taking part in endurance and intense sporting events, they are also connected with tooth decay in athletes and should be used following the advice of dental and healthcare teams dedicated to looking after athletes.
“Water or milk is sufficient enough to hydrate active children, high sugar sports drinks are unnecessary for children and most adults.”
Russ Ladwa, chair of the British Dental Association’s Health and Science Committee, says it is deeply concerning that so many children are consuming sports drinks and says marketing such products to young people is nothing short of negligent.
“Sports drinks are rarely a healthy choice, and marketing them to the general population, and young people in particular, is grossly irresponsible,” he said. “Elite athletes might have reason to use them, but for almost everyone else they represent a real risk to both their oral and their general health.”
