Are sports drinks better than water for kids who have been exercising?

Usually Not: If you sweat for less than 2 hours, water is usually best. After 2 solid hours, it's advisable to replenish electrolytes. However, the typical sports drink contains far too little sodium and far too much sugar. To make an effective rehydration solution, for every 2 cups of sports drink add 2 cups water, and 1/2 tsp salt. Or, start from scratch. Recipe: http://rehydrate.Org/solutions/homemade.Htm.

Not at all: The council on nutrition of the aap has reviewed sports and energy drinks and found them of little or no use for children & adolescents (2010-2011). The fact that they are highly advertised should give all a reason for concern.They offer little more than a cola, and their sugar content is high enough to give problems with excessive weight gain over time.

Usually Not: Sports drinks are often full of sugar and salt that is unnecessary for most kids. If, however, the exercise requires a lot of endurance (long distance running, a three hour soccer practice on a 90 degree day etc.), then they can be helpful, in limited amounts. Some kids like to drink sports drinks when they're thirsty and inactive. This is a bad idea; way too much salt, way to many calories.

NO!!!: Agree with my colleagues: you need to sweat for 2 hours or more for sports drinks to be worth it. Lots of sugar: 12 ounces of gatorade can have up to 5 teaspoons of sugar. Also, gatorade/sports drinks can be bad for your teeth. One study showed that gatorade chewed through protective tooth enamel more than coca cola. Yikes!