Use of Sports Drinks by Adolescents

Sports drinks are advertised to restore energy and fluids after vigorous exercise. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has concluded that most adolescents need replenishment only with water. Researchers examined data from two large, nationally representative surveys of high school students to identify changes in sports drink consumption over a 5-year period and associations with sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.

Between 2010 and 2015, the proportion of adolescents who consumed sports drinks during the previous week increased slightly but significantly (56.0% to 57.6%), while the proportion consuming sports drinks daily decreased significantly (16.1% to 13.8%). The greatest reductions were among non-Hispanic African-Americ…