Don't drink Gatorade.

[Aristus]

Or Powerade. Or sports drinks, Monster drinks, etc.

They're absolutely terrible for you. The manufacturers spend millions in advertising to convince you that they are healthy, or at least are safe and effective rehydrators for athletes.

I had a patient the other day with a condition for which I needed to prescribe a potentially hepatotoxic medication. Naturally, I ordered a liver function test first. Turns out her transaminases, enzymes produced by an abnormally-functioning liver, were sky-high. Off the charts.

I've seen better liver function on patients with cirrhosis or Hepatitis C.

Having seen this kind of thing before, I asked her if she drank any of the following: soda, Gatorade, Powerade, sports drinks, Monster drinks, Red Bull, Rock Star, fruit juice, or non-dairy creamer.

She said "I drink Gatorade all the time."

I told her what her lab result was and the reason for it. She was horrified until I told her that her condition is reversible; simply cut out the Gatorade, and anything else on the list I gave her. I will re-check her liver function in three months, and I'm confident there will be significant improvement. The liver is astonishingly good at recovering from disease.

The best sports drink there is is water. Stick with that.

[Ocelot II]

1. Interesting. What's in Gatorade that causes problems?

I don't drink it or those other things because they have so much sugar but I'm curious.

[Aristus]

5. High Fructose Corn Syrup.

It's the sweetener in these beverages, and in a lot of other products, like ketchup and mustard.

These beverages used to be sweetened with cane sugar, and cane sugar isn't good for you, either. But it's relatively expensive, and so the products it's used in are also relatively expensive. High Fructose Corn Syrup is very cheap, so when they started putting it in soda and other beverages, they also became very cheap. Things like soda and sports drinks have never been healthful, but when they were relatively pricey, people drank them less. Now that they are very inexpensive, people drink them all the time.

If you know anything about diabetes, you probably know about glucose, which is a form of sugar used for energy by nearly every cell in the body. Fructose is not; fructose goes right to the liver, which stores sugar as fat. So drink enough of these things, and you'll develop hepatic steatosis, or fatty liver disease. Fortunately, as I pointed out above, it is reversible if you stop consuming the offending agent.

Also, high fructose corn syrup suppresses the secretion of a hormone called leptin. When you eat, your stomach stretches, and when it stretches, it activates what are called stretch receptors. And these stretch receptors secrete leptin, which goes from your stomach to your brain and say "Stop eating; we're full!"

Well, HFCS suppresses the secretion of leptin, our satiety hormone, so we keep eating and eating and eating because we don't feel full. And that's just one reason for this country's obesity epidemic.

[Ocelot II]

8. Thanks. I knew HFCS was bad for you but not that it caused liver disease.

One more reason to stay away from that stuff. I've been on a low-carb diet since the beginning of the pandemic, lost a lot of weight, and HFCS does not and never will cross my lips!

[Aristus]

10. Is your low-carb diet a keto-focused plan?

Because that's not good for you, either. Ketogenic diets can cause an itchy, ugly rash called prurigo pigmentosa.

I tell my patients just to observe moderation in all things.

Unless a special diet is crucial to long-term health, in which case, I refer them to a nutritionist.

[Ocelot II]

25. No, it's not that strict, and I'm not that disciplined.

I'm just staying away from sweets, baked goods, most starchy vegetables and pasta and eating a lot of salmon, chicken, eggs and green vegetables. Never heard of that rash and so far I don't have it, so I guess I'm OK, and 60 lbs. lighter.

[forgotmylogin]

39. But...it's what plants crave...

/Idiocracy

[localroger]

61. Came here to post this. Not disappointed. /nt

[Ron Obvious]

22. What about the sugar-free PowerAde Zero?

I stopped drinking Gatorade when I gained weight on it. But I must confess Powerade puts something back that plain water does not.

I don't drink much of it anyway. Only on hot days when I've been out and about cycling.

[Aristus]

24. I just posted a reply to this issue below.

Water, plus some small snacks now and then should give you everything your body needs.

I tell my patients that Gatorade was originally formulated for marathon runners and other extreme athletes (such as the Florida Gators, hence the name; gridiron football in Florida's heat. Yikes!) and even many of them don't drink it. A classmate of mine from P.A. School is a marathon runner, and she drinks water.

[spooky3]

42. Thank you! Nt

[Old Crank]

43. HFCS

Is heavily subsidized by the government. Fructose is metabolized by the liver, glucose is not. We have placed tariffs on regular sugar imports to protect beet growers and the few remailing sugarcane growers.
You have to read your labels. If you are going to use sports drinks with sugar, just use them for the time you are exercising. Avoid them the rest of the time.
I like NUUN. it is sugar free, for an electrolyte replacement while exercising.

[Aristus]

53. That's right.

The American Corn Association has an immensely powerful lobbying group in D.C. Corn subsidies aren’t going away anytime soon.

[oregonjen]

2. Uh-oh, non-dairy creamer?

That’s part of my morning one cup of coffee. What’s in it that is bad for the liver?

[Aristus]

6. See my post above on high fructose corn syrup.

People think that because there's no dairy in your creamer, it must be good for you. But it's jam-packed with sugar. They try to hide it on the label, calling it 'evaporated cane juice' on most brands of non-dairy creamer.

I tell my patients who like coffee-lightener, go ahead and use actual cream. It's less bad for you than non-dairy creamer.

[Tetrachloride]

19. I use powdered milk in my coffee.

Works for me.

YMMV

[100PerCent Carnivore]

59. Doesn't Eating Fat, Cream, & Sugar Activate the Randle Cycle?

Which is one reason why a low-carb/ketogenic diet, and thus low-sugar and high fat diet works so well. Or even a vegan diet, because both eliminate sugar, especially processed sugar & starches. But mixing both sugar and fat will limit the ability of the cells to metabolize glucose. Also one cause of insulin resistance. Do I have that right?

[forgotmylogin]

37. I got in the habit of using heavy whipping cream in my coffee.

If you're okay with dairy and the fat, it's more natural and rich and you don't need a lot. I understand why people use other creamers though - they're shelf-stable and don't expire as quickly.

I'd guess if you're using a little non-dairy creamer in one cup of coffee and not drinking a whole lot of other beverages with HFCS you are probably okay unless a doctor tells you otherwise.

[Farmer-Rick]

57. I love real heavy cream in my coffee

That's the best way to drink it.

[gab13by13]

3. I'm just an internet doctor but,

my friend was born with 1 kidney and one day he got a tumor on it. He went to Cleveland clinic where they operated on the tumor, they took out 30% from cancer and 40% from his taking Prilosec. He used to take Prilosec by the fistful because of a hiatal hernia.

Maybe doc will correct me if this is bad advice, oh and he is doing fine with no need for dialysis.

I also hear lawyer commercials for Zantac causing cancer, but that's just lawyer talk. I have a hiatal hernia and I just don't eat before I go to bed.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Good for you, my dear Aristus! You spread the truth wherever and whenever you can!

It's really important to keep doing that.

[DENVERPOPS]

45. Agreed

But a discussion on sports drinks should also include something my dentist told me ten years ago:
All of the kids in sports and even adults were consuming Gatorade etc all day long.
He said all the sugar in the drinks and also the "salts'? in the drinks would cause all kinds of problems with teeth, especially in Kids.
He said they are all somewhat corrosive and then the sugar comes into play. He predicted that the dentists would be seeing an outbreak of cavities, especially in kids, like never before. He also mentioned the fluoride that is put in public drinking water that is put in there as a cavity preventer. He said that turning away from municipal water due to the increase in sports drinks was also something to consider. He did feel it was okay to drink some, and then brush your teeth, but to slowly drink a big bottle over the course of hours and hours would be bad.

I don't know if all he told me is correct, but certainly something to look at..............

[Aristus]

54. That's true.

Mrs. Aristus is a dental hygienist, so she has to deal with the adverse effects of HFCS, too; cavities instead of physiological effects.

We both spend our professional lives imploring patients not to drink that stuff.

[captain queeg]

7. So those things affect kidney function too?

I drink both Gatorade and monster energy drinks.

[JohnSJ]

9. You have give a reason why the sports drink would cause elevated liver enzymes? There are no

of liver issues with those drinks. I can understand it affecting glucose levels, and unless the patient has diabetes ir some other pre-existing condition, you assertion does not seem reasonable
I guess it might increase vitamin A levels. which can cause liver issues

[Aristus]

12. See reply #5 above.

I care less what seems reasonable, and more about what affects my patients' health for good or ill. Positive clinical outcomes. That's the prize. That's the goal of any good, conscientious clinician.

[cilla4progress]

11. I would guess some (including me) think

the word fructose means it's fruit-based and thus healthy!

I try to drink 60 ozs. water / day. I always feel better when I do - energy, digestion, even lowering my glucose, i think. Along with intermittent fasting.

I had terrible charley-horses for years after going to bed, especially if I exercised hard and sweated that day. I somewhat fixed it with hydration, but magnesium also helps a bunch!

[Aristus]

13. It's important to remember that high-fructose corn syrup is not natural.

It's a chemically-manipulated form of fructose that makes it sweeter than in its natural form. And in its natural form, it's not that good for you, either.

I tell my patients, if you have a craving for orange juice, eat an orange. If you have a craving for apple juice, eat an apple. Whole fruit has everything about fruit that makes it healthy; pulp and fiber and so on. The juice is just sugar.

[cilla4progress]

14. Exactly.

I grew up not knowing this, including as a young mom, what i gave my child!

I believe it is the very fibrous structure of the whole fruits that make them healthy to eat, as you say, Aristus!

[brewens]

15. I never drink Gatorade anymore, but when I did, it was the powdered version and diluted.

I was told about 45 years ago by a trainer that it was too concentrated for instant hydration. Mixed about half strength still tastes pretty good and gives you twice as much water.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

16. I doubt it's the high fructose corn syrup causing the

liver issues. Probably something else in the drinks. Perhaps the labels on those drinks would help.

Years ago I stopped drinking any soft drinks, and have never had any of the other things named in the OP. I'm often horrified at how much of some of those things that many people consume. And the diet versions are probably a lot worse for you than the ones containing sugar in any form.

Water. Water. Also beer, wine, the occasional martini or gin & tonic.

[Aristus]

18. Well, that's certainly a common impulse: It's not the thing I like; it's something else.

It's kind of like my smoking patients who tell me their cough and shortness of breath are due to some other factor, no matter how much evidence there is for the dangers of smoking.

You are both right and wrong about diet drinks and their chemical sweeteners. They are bad for you, but when it comes to a comparison with sugar-based sweeteners, I put them on a roughly-equal basis, and encourage my patients to stay away from them.

[NNadir]

17. Don't drink the Koolaid either.

There's nothing fun or healthy about being a Fox News worshipping Republican.

[Tetrachloride]

20. Did you see the story on chopped, aerated broccoli for Type 2 diabetes?

Just throwing this in here as an aside

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-found-a-new-healthier-way-to-cook-broccoli

[thinkingagain]

21. My hubby

Works in the asphalt industry, that means in the summer 100+ degree weather along with the high tempatures of the asphalt. He drinks a lot of water but also drinks other stuff throughout his long day (sometimes 16+hour days) for variety.

He has been known to drink gateraide but with the onset of diabetes he moved in to zero aide (sugar free product) so it’s full of sucralose. I am thinking that is really not better. Any advice for guys like him.

[Aristus]

23. If a person is working for prolonged periods in hot weather, but has plenty of water to drink,

the concern then becomes a risk for what's called hypervolemic hyponatremia, which basically means hydration plus a lack of salt dilutes your sodium levels. This is a condition that Gatorade insists it is preventing, and it can, but not without giving your body a ton of other things that really aren't good for you.

I would tell him that, in addition to keeping plenty of water on hand, keep some snacks available, too. Munching on something now and then can keep electrolyte levels where they need to be. It's much better than drinking Gatorade.

The problem is, so many of my patients who drink Gatorade lead essentially sedentary lives, and they neither need the electrolyte solution in the beverage, or are unable to burn off the sugar through physical activity. I tell them, you can get all the electrolytes you need from your food.

[thinkingagain]

31. thank you for your information and advice.

He does have snack also. Not always the healthiest but he is slowly learning, sometimes he gets it right! we work on his weight, and health. As a lot of us do.
Sometimes I think I would like him to see you when he is working in your area, as I like how you write about some of your patients.

[Victor_c3]

47. Are you telling me that playing extreme sports on a game console is still considered sedentary?

A doctor I know once told me all he does is "fix a lifetime of bodily neglect".

My kids and I drink mostly water and unsweetened iced tea. When you never drink sweetened beverages, you don't miss them - and it is possible to get yourself past the habit of needing flavored and sweetened beverages.

Everything in moderation! Thats even true with my methamphetamine habit!

[dchill]

26. Thank you for the very useful public service post!

I don't drink Gatorade or anything like it, but I know plenty of people who do.

[gab13by13]

27. I was in physical therapy,

There were 10 people in therapy and one day we were told we had to all meet together with a nutritionist. The nice lady passed out info about healthy food and gave a nice presentation. She explained to us how to read the labels on the food we buy. When she was finished she asked us, "how do you know if you are eating healthy food?" An elderly gentleman sitting right next to me proclaimed, "if it tastes good, spit it out."

[whistler162]

28. Or DiHydrogen Monoxide

[Aristus]

58. Yeah, that stuff is deadly!

And it’s in everything!

Interesting fact: You can swallow dihydrogen monoxide, no problem. But if you inhale it, you’re dead!

[Rachel M at 6 pm]

29. This is such a coincidence

Last night I was in the store and decided against adding Gatorade to my cart, as it's been giving me problems when I drink it at night. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night because I need to use the toilet (number one), but then I can't seem to accomplish it for a long time. Eventually I saw the pattern that this problem only happens when I've been drinking Gatorade. So it was just last night that I decided to stop drinking it, and then today you posted this.

(It hasn't happened for a few weeks because I haven't been drinking it. But last night I decided to continue to leave it on the store shelf.)

[niyad]

50. Welcome. About time you came in from the cold.

[Rachel M at 6 pm]

62. Thank you!

I've been reading DU off and on for years, depending on my job and schedule. I was definitely reading a lot of DU in 2016, and hurried here the day after TFG's unlikely win. I watched in horror as DU wouldn't load. I don't remember how long it was down, but it seems like it was two or three weeks. I've never believed that to be a coincidence. I'm sure 2016 was stolen from us, but Hillary conceded, so it was over.

"Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind, and the chance to lead. Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power, and we don't just respect that, we cherish it." - Hillary Clinton, November 9, 2016

I love that quote. In fact, I'm going to change the last sentence of the quote to my signature line right now.

[Phoenix61]

30. I'm in Florida and in the summer it's brutally hot.

I get powdered pedialite and mix it half strength. I don’t drink more than one serving but that allows me to work all day in the yard without getting a headache.

[Wounded Bear]

32. I drink water and coffee...

no sodas, no "energy" drinks, not even fruit juice. I go to the store and look at all those bottled products and think to myself: Those are all 95% water, and the other 5% is not good for me.

[uppityperson]

33. I found an interesting article, sip don't chug.

https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2020/june/the-gut-shields-the-liver-from-fructose-induced-damage

The Gut Shields the Liver from Fructose-Induced Damage
New study shows how excessive consumption of fructose, whether via food or beverage, overwhelms gut defenses and results in development of fatty liver
June 29, 2020
PHILADELPHIA — After one consumes food or a beverage containing fructose, the gastrointestinal system, or gut, helps to shield the liver from damage by breaking down the sugar before it reaches the liver, according to a new multi-center study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. However, the consumption of too much fructose—particularly in a short period of time—can overwhelm the gut, causing fructose to “spill over” into the liver, where it wreaks havoc and causes fatty liver, researchers discovered.

The findings, in mice, help to unravel longstanding questions about how the body metabolizes fructose—a form of sugar often found in fruits, vegetables, and honey, as well as most processed foods in the form of high fructose corn syrup. Consumption of fructose has increased 100-fold over the last century, even as studies have shown that excessive consumption, particularly sweet drinks, are linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity and diabetes. The findings were published in Nature Metabolism.

“What we discovered and show here is that, after you eat or drink fructose, the gut actually consumes the fructose first—helping to protect the liver from fructose-induced damage,” said the study’s corresponding author Zoltan Arany, MD, PhD, a professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Penn. “Importantly, we also show that consuming the food or beverage slowly over a long meal, rather than in one gulp, can mitigate the adverse consequences.”...(more)

[highplainsdem]

34. If you need electrolytes you're better off with unsweetened Pedialyte, though

it isn't as cheap as Gatorade (or wasn't the last time I bought either; that's been a long time ago).

You can also find recipes online for making your own Pedialyte substitute.

[forgotmylogin]

44. I could be wrong about electrolytes... (Take this with a grain of salt, I am not a doctor...)

But I got the suggestion to add a wee bit of salt and a pinch of "no-salt" to beverages to slightly boost electrolytes. I learned the potassium chloride trick on keto to stave off keto-flu, which is feeling sluggish after the body purges stored water and toxins in the first couple weeks and the electrolyte balance changes.
Salt is sodium chloride, and "no-salt" (pure salt substitute) is potassium chloride.

Sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, and magnesium are all electrolytes. You get them from the foods you eat and the fluids you drink. The levels of electrolytes in your body can become too low or too high

https://medlineplus.gov/fluidandelectrolytebalance.html

I remember seeing an episode of a "mystery disease" medical show where a woman died "from drinking too much water" which is extremely rare but can happen if one consumes extremely low amounts sodium and electrolytes; the fluid in the body becomes too diluted and stops conducting electrical impulses between nerves, wreaking all kinds of havoc. This is apparently a *very difficult* state to get in as it's hard to get to that low of a sodium level unless one is on strict no-sodium and chugs multiple gallons of water per day.

Here are some foods and drinks that can help you replenish your electrolyte stores.
Drink unsweetened coconut water. Coconut water is a good source of electrolytes. ...
Eat bananas. ...
Consume dairy products. ...
Cook white meat and poultry. ...
Eat avocado. ...
Drink fruit juice. ...
Snack on watermelon. ...

[ffr]

35. I stopped due to muscle cramping. Whatever is in that sugar cocktail isn't what my body craves

I switched back to fresh water and slow burning carbs. I held onto my stocks of Gatorade for a while before determining it's just dyed sugar water. Poured them all down the sink and recycled their bottles.

But now I'm even more convinced to stay away from it and those others on the list.

[Quakerfriend]

36. Thank you for posting this Aristus!

I have been telling patients this for years!
It’s amazing how effective the advertising has been for Gatorade, in particular.
And, it contains very little in the way of electrolytes- So hard to get people to believe this!

[Joinfortmill]

38. Thanks for this. Shared info.

[paleotn]

40. The corn guys are gonna be pissed at you.

I fully agree with you and have avoided high fructose corn syrup for ages. Hard to do sometimes, because it's in damn near everything. However, our government subsidizes the growing of corn for making high fructose corn syrup. HFCS production keeps the money flowing into corn growers pockets. But on the other side of the federal government, the Dept. of Health and Human Services tells us to cut back on the very things the Ag department and annual ag bills subsidize, like corn produced for HFCS. Go figure.

[DinahMoeHum]

41. Never liked it. I always thought it tasted like piss.

And these days, when I hear or read the word piss, I'm thinking about the unvaxxed drinking it instead of getting their shots.
UGH !!

[ailsagirl]

46. Thanks for the heads-up

I don’t drink Gatorade but I know people who have, so I’ll pass the word along!

[The Unmitigated Gall]

48. Water. Squeeze of lime. Ice cube.

[3catwoman3]

49. Gatorade's marketing has been spectacularly successful, unfortunately.

I remember when the first version came out - it looked like a bottle of pee. I tasted it and found it just as disgusting as it looked. Never tried again.

[niyad]

51. I never could understand the allure of those nasty-tasting drinks. And I am seriously

allergic to non-dairy products.

Seeing this, I want to thank you. I have a friend who nearly died from a ruptured lower intestine last year, and he has serious digestive issues. He also consumes things like monster and red bull. I will be sharing this information with him.

[Old Crank]

52. The big issue may be

That HFCS is processed by the liver unlike sucrose/glucose. This puts more strain on the liver and helps with fat deposits.

My wife has a Fructose malabsorption problem. This results in symptoms from gas to diarrhea. Before we moved to Germany I read a lot of labels. Her body doesn't process Fructose very well. She has read that perhaps as much as 1/3 of people with IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome) may actually have this problem.

Once we focused in on trying to eliminate fructose her problems went away. So fruit has a mix of fructose and Glucose/sucrose. If that ration is high on the fructose side she can't eat that without symptoms. She can get away with a little. Your mileage may vary.

Here is a list of things that she shouldn't have:

Bread made with HFCS, honey, maple syrup, raisin/grape juice as sweeteners.

Fruits: Apples, figs, dates, grapes/raisins, bananas, coconuts, most berries.
Borderline, pear, cherry
(Citrus, most tropical fruit, cranberries, blueberries are edible, members of the currant family)

Vegetables: Beets and anything with beet sugar as a sweetener. Corn chips and tortillas, All corn.

Many things like ketchup, BBQ sauce, and salad dressings have it. A good number of ice creams are off limits.

Most large scale commercial breads are off limits along with health food store breads. Surprisingly bread made by Safeway in house are generally okay. I guess it is more economical to use real sugar for the small amounts they produce. Artisan Bakeries use real sugar or not at all. The whole thing can be hit and miss. Formulas can change....

I would advise any one with IBS to at least try for a week, or two, cutting out the fructose in their diets. We noticed an almost immediate improvement. It is not a crazy diet but reading labels for the first month will drive you crazy trying to find stuff without HFCS. It is every where.

So, I make my own salad dressings. Quick and easy with an immersion blender.
Before moving I had a couple of mass produced breads I found to go along with artisanal. Some BBQ sauces are HFCS free. I use Mapleine for my wife"s pancakes. For honey in baking I use Lyle's Golden Syrup.

As usual your mileage will vary. And my advice is worth every penny you paid for it.

I hope that this will help some one you know.

[hlthe2b]

55. Yup... Its been decades since I drank that crap or sugared soft drinks.

Water or Unsweetened Iced Tea--whole leaf if possible, green, white, black--all good for you.

[TexasBushwhacker]

56. The thing that gets me about sports drinks

Is that they sell themselves as replacing electrolytes, but the only electrolyte they really replace is sodium. Of course, salt is cheap, and so is HFCS. If they were REALLY for replacing electrolytes, they'd have more potassium. Gatorade has 3.5 times as much sodium as it has potassium. Since most Americans have no shortage of sodium in their diets, they'd better off drinking water and eating a bag of potato chips.

[Xoan]

60. Can you point me to the research ?

[tanyev]

63. What's the major issue with non-dairy creamer?

We don’t use it, but I presume the biggest problem with the rest of your list is the quantity of sugar consumed. Seems like that wouldn’t be the issue with non-dairy creamer. Just curious. Thx.

[Blue Owl]

64. Roger that

I'll spare you the details of the last time I drank Gatorade... Let's just say it didn't agree with me...

[Wolf Frankula]

65. On very hot dehydrating days I may drink 1 glass of Gatorade

I don't drink any of the sports drinks or other specialty drinks. At work it's usually coffee and water.

Wolf